Lazy Sunday
by Crazycakes
Summary: [Operation Overdrive] Mack & Rose. Some of the rangers have been growing closer with every new day in in the mansion, but the last thing Andrew Hartford wants to deal with are couples. Can two certain rangers manage to keep their relationship a secret?
1. Evening Musings

Well, I usually don't start writing fanfiction this soon into a show's storyline, but this new season is just singing to me. Usually I have a good 10-or-so episode count before I even start _thinking_ of shipping, but Mack and Rose are just too adorable for their own good. I'm hooked. If they end up with other people in the series, I'll be seriously disappointed because there's just _so much_ potential for the two.

Right. So this was supposed to be a drabble, but it, ah…didn't work out that way. The bit with Spencer at the end was kind of spur-of-the-moment, but I added it in because I love Spencer. He's probably the best written character of this season so far, so the end was my tribute to him.

Enjoy!

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"_Watch with glittering eyes the world around you. Those who do not believe in magic will never find it."_ -Roald Dahl

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She was in her room studying. Again. It was the usual sight, with Rose sitting on the bed with her back up against the headboard, open books and papers littering her nightstand, faced scrunched into a slight frown as she typed away at her laptop.

Typical of her, she knew, but Rose didn't always feel like hanging out with the rest of the rangers. Social situations were _definitely_ not her forte. She wasn't about to go put herself in an awkward situation if she didn't have to; that was just illogical. Besides, the team could handle an afternoon at the mall without her. She needed to work on her thesis anyway.

Mostly she just didn't want to be near Dax. Watching him run screaming through the food court while randomly doing acrobatics over tables was not her idea of fun. She loved the boy to death, but sometimes he could just be a bit much. She knew Will and Ronny wouldn't try calming the poor guy down, either, because they'd spend the whole time making stupid googly eyes at each other. It was disgusting, really. Sometimes, she swore Mack was the only one on their team with a single ounce of logic.

…she _really_ needed to work on her thesis.

Her mind just couldn't focus. Her team was a distraction even when they were out of the house! Not to mention the day had been a tough one; up at dawn, physical training and zord training and more physical training, and then- wonder of wonders! An afternoon off. Oh, and how they needed it.

Mack had pushed them, and she knew he would, without a doubt. But Mack cared about all of them; he managed to motivate them in a subtle way, making the rest of the team go above and beyond their best without even realizing what they were doing. He was a great leader, even though he himself was a shy about it. She remembered teasing him earlier during training, telling him that he was so much better than he gave himself credit for. She remembered him shaking his head, and turning away muttering about needing to train himself more, but she knew he was flattered. He was funny that way.

She cracked a smile at the thought. It was one of many that had made its way to her face in the short span of time she had been living at the Hartford mansion. It was definitely fitting, seeing as how Dax's antics could make any one of them turn their lips upward. Her team was dysfunctional, but they definitely fit well together.

"What'cha smiling at?"

Her head snapped up. It was Mack, of course. She recognized the voice before she even saw his face. She raised an eyebrow at him as he plopped down onto her bed, effectively taking up the rest of her leg room as he sprawled himself out. She shut the lid of her laptop and gingerly placed it on an uncovered spot on her nightstand before turning to look back at the red ranger. She gave him an incredulous look. "I thought you were going to the mall with the rest of the team?"

He shrugged. "Didn't feel like watching Will and Ronny flirt with each other all afternoon, so I decided to spend it in your highly boring company." He cracked a grin to take the sting off his statement. She grinned right back and then reached over and lightly punched him in the arm. "Doofus."

He laughed outright. "Oh, you wound me so!" and he proceeded to fake his death right there on the bed. She couldn't help but chuckle when his antics made him fall off the bed with a loud '_plop!'_ as he hit the ground.

But Mack, for all the world a joker, just got right back up on the bed and sprawled himself over her blankets like nothing had happened. Then he rolled of on his stomach, put his head on his hand and looked right up at her, grinning his normal silly smile. "Well, at least your room is always quiet. It's hard to get any peace around this place, even with the team out and about."

"Amen to that." It seriously got way too loud in the mansion. With Dax showing off, Ronny flipping out over new zords, and Will playing his music on full blast wherever he went, it was hard to find any place on the grounds to just sit and think.

Rose jumped slightly when she heard Andrew calling loudly from downstairs for the ranger that was nestled so comfortably next to her. Though the pink ranger was startled outright when Mack suddenly groaned and plopped his face into her pillow, his ever-messy hair falling even more into disarray. She pushed his bangs out of the way to try and get a closer look at his eyes, but it was to no avail. "Are you okay?"

"My dad is trying to kill me."

She laughed at the sheer impossibility of it. "Is that what he's calling you for? To come and bring you to your sudden but inevitable doom?"

He frowned. "You're laughing now, but he's really trying to end me, I swear to you."

The pitiful look on his face managed to earn her sympathy, and she smiled sadly down at him. "He's working you way too hard, isn't he?" Mack heaved a sigh.

"I might be the leader of the team, but damn it all Rose, I'm not invincible! I _do_ get tired, just like the rest of you. All work and no play makes me an annoyed, dull boy."

"He just wants to make sure you're ready for the upcoming fights, Mack. He doesn't want you to get hurt. Our enemies aren't exactly nice folks." He sighed again and hugged her pillow close to him. She began to rub slow circles on his back, hoping it would calm him down.

He sighed again, softer this time, and talked into her pillow, muffling his voice. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though." She gave him a big smile, laughing inwardly at his gracious defeat.

He looked up and saw the silly smile on her face. "Well, Mack, if it makes you feel any better, I won't tell your dad where you are. You're safe with me, at least for the rest of the day."

His smile conveyed his thankful thoughts perfectly, and she couldn't help but notice how comfortable she was around him. If it had been anyone else on the team, she would've kicked them out of her room ages ago.

She saw Mack close his eyes and smile, obviously enjoying the back rub. She knew he was stressed out and that, more than anything, he just needed to relax. They _all_ needed to relax. They weren't even two months into their ranger careers, and they were already feeling the stress that came along with saving the world. They'd take in all of the quiet moments they could. Afternoons like these were almost perfect.

When Rose could feel the even rise and fall of Mack's chest, she stopped her ministrations and grabbed the laptop she had out on her nightstand. She flipped the lid back open, smiled, and began typing. Her thoughts came more easily now, and she slipped into a quiet stare, half thinking of the words she was typing and half listening to Mack's easy breathing. He was still hugging her pillow, and the ease at which he fell asleep in her presence sent a small jolt of pride tingling down her spine, knowing that he wasn't this comfortable with just anyone.

When he turned a bit to rearrange himself, he threw his arm over her leg, and then wound it back under the pillow, so he was half hugging her thigh. His head managed to find the hollow between her knee and the bed, and he nestled himself next to her, finding the most comfortable position he could. She couldn't help but laugh a bit when his breath hit the inside of her knee, and she had to wiggle a bit to get it to stop tickling.

Even in sleep, her red ranger was optimistic, with a small smile on his face. Rose admired that quality in him. She lightly ran one hand through his hair as she brainstormed ideas for her writing, and she felt him unconsciously relax into her light grip. He was under pressure from his father, from the team, from the _world_, but he still managed to hand out a quirky grin or say a few kind words just to ease hurt feelings or soothe frazzled nerves.

Rose didn't know how long Mack had been sleeping or how long she had been typing, but it was just about sunset when she thought she heard Dax clamoring about two floors beneath her. She chuckled outright at the absurdity of being able to hear him from the third story, and the slight tremor from her laughter shook Mack awake.

His groggy eyes met hers, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, all disheveled with his hair falling in every which way. He raised an eyebrow at her small smile, obviously not sharing her amusement at the prospect of being woken up. When he saw that her smile wasn't going away, he groaned loudly and shoved his head back into the pillow. Her smile turned into a laugh.

"C'mon Mack, rise and shine." She shook his shoulder lightly. This time the groan was muffled by her pillow. "I don't wanna!"

She shook her head in amusement, and then pushed him off the bed. All she heard was an loud _oomph_ and then… quiet.

Rose leaned over the side of the bed to see Mack half-lying on the pillow, trying to get back to sleep. She laughed loudly, took one of the pillows lying next to her, and hit him upside the head with it. "C'mon, morning glory, it's almost time for dinner. Your dad'll be expecting us soon."

His glare made her smile wider, and he huffed and rolled away from her in mock indignation.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tapped him with her feet. He turned back over. "I thought the point of me staying in here was so we could get me _away_ from my dad. Are you throwing me to the wolves?" He was still pretending to be angry at her, but she could hear the smile in his voice.

She gave him a lopsided smile. "You're going to have to face him some time or another, Mack." His annoyed gaze turned pitiful instantly.

"Yeah, but do I have to go right_ now?_"

"You sound like a two year old, Mack."

"Hmph." He rolled over onto his side, his back to her. She trembled from holding in her laughter. For all that her red ranger was fierce and tough, he could act very childish when he was in the right mindset.

She got up from the bed, grabbing her wrinkled comforter, and lay down on her back beside him, resting her head next to his on the bright pink pillow he had stolen from her bed. She wasn't all that hungry anyway, and to be honest, she was having way too much fun teasing Mack. She'd much rather stay here with him than face the other rangers.

She gave him an exaggerated sigh. "I _suppose_ we could stay here a bit longer-" He sat up suddenly and unexpectedly, turned to her and gave her the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face. He put his hands on his hips, striking a dignified and downright ridiculous pose.

"_Hah!_ I win!" He gave a hearty laugh and stuck his chin into the air, playing up his success.

She laughed and pulled him down towards the ground, and he fell over her awkwardly, almost completely laying on the top half of her body. He let out an amused puff of air, and went to move off of her, but she held fast to the arm she had grabbed.

The suddenly intense look in her eyes set off a strange pang of emotions in his heart, and the feeling only grew as he stared right back at her, both of them suddenly, uncharacteristically silent. He trembled, and the hand on his arm was warm and oddly comforting. He was so wrapped up in his emotions that he barely heard her whisper.

"Stay, Mack. Please, just…stay."

He gave her another smile that sent chills down her spine, and he didn't have to say a word. He leaned back down, nestled his head in the crook of her neck, wrapped his arms haphazardly around her, and closed his eyes. He couldn't see it, but in the twilight of the sunset, her eyes sparkled as she hugged him back, finding herself exactly where she wanted to be. They both had their lips upturned in secret little smiles as they fell asleep in comfortable silence.

-----

Spencer wiped the sweat off his brow as he heard the exuberant rangers walk through the large double doors of the mansion. He had been working on reformatting the zords' hard drives for the better part of the day, and was exhausted. The rangers return home meant a welcome escape from the computer parts scattered around him, so he gladly left the zord bay behind and made his way up to the main house.

As he entered the enormous kitchen, his initial reaction was to give a hefty chuckle at the scene before him. Dax was pestering Andrew about the food he was preparing while Master Hartford was trying to slap him away from the food with his spatula, and Will and Ronny were busy arguing about the pros and cons of sports cars versus sport utility vehicles. Though, he soon became puzzled. "I was under the impression that your son was going on the outing to the mall with the other rangers, Master Hartford." Spencer raised and eyebrow.

Ronny snorted, "He totally wimped out last minute. Said he was too tired or something and wanted to stay home." Dax nodded. Andrew turned to Spencer, keeping half an eye on the food on the pan to make sure it didn't burn.

"I tried calling for Mack earlier; wanted to go over some new weapons tactics," Will snorted and rolled his eyes but Andrew continued on, "but he didn't answer me back. I wasn't about to go search for him in _this_ place either." He exaggerated his statement by throwing his arms out wide, almost hitting the blue ranger in the face. He had the decency to look sheepish before he focused his attention on Spencer again, who sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of lemonade.

Mr. Hartford looked thoughtful. "As a matter of fact…I haven't seen Rose all day either."

Will looked up from his argument with Ronny to answer Andrew's unspoken question. "She said she needed to work on a paper for something. She's probably holed herself up in her room to pour over it." He shrugged.

Spencer stood back up. "I'll go find the two of them, seeing as how dinner is almost ready," he turned towards Ronny, "Can you go and set the table? I believe it's your turn tonight." She nodded and went to go grab the silverware.

Spencer was awfully glad of the chores that Andrew had them all do. It took a great load off of his own back. He had enough to do as it was; beyond his regular duties, he somehow ended up being the ranger's emotional counselor. It was very tiring, really.

He climbed up the stairs to the third story, making a beeline for Mack's room. He figured that if the red ranger would be anywhere in the house, that would be the best place to find him. However, when he reached the red door and found it open with no one inside, he wasn't too horribly surprised. The house was large, and the boy could be anywhere.

His next stop was Rose's room. It was on the way to the game room, which was where Mack usually hung about when he wasn't in his own room. When he reached her door, he knocked on the painted pink wood lightly, and when there was no answer he opened the door slightly. He found it strange that the light was on, but no one was in the room.

Spencer was about to leave, when he noticed a large lump on the floor. Or rather, two lumps. What he had originally disregarded as a heap of blankets on the floor was actually the two missing rangers cuddled together under Rose's large pink comforter.

The scene made him smile. With all of the stress that went into being a ranger, it was good that the two found strength in one another. He quietly tread across the room and switched off the lamp, finding his way back to the door by walking towards the light coming from the hallway lamps. He whispered good night to the two, even though it was probably just as effective as talking to a graveyard. The two had turned a deaf ear on the world, and were sleeping soundly. Spencer shut the door softly and made his way down the stairs.

He didn't make it all the way down. Andrew was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, a questioning look on his face.

"Food's on the table, Spencer. Where are Mack and Rose?"

He was tempted to tell Andrew about his son and the pink ranger cuddled together upstairs on Rose's floor, but swatted the idea out of his mind the second it manifested itself. Master Hartford would only see the ranger's relationship (innocent as it was) as a hindrance and a lack of focus on their training. As close as he was to his son, Mr. Hartford didn't get to see the brunt of the boys' impatience and aggravation as much as Spencer did. The boy always tried to act respectful in his father's presence, and he did it to a fault. As such, his father usually pushed him too hard. He didn't understand how much Mack needed Rose to be there for him, and vice versa.

"The two are both sleeping, Master Hartford. Today's events have tired them both out tremendously, I believe, and they were in need of some extra shut-eye." Andrew nodded.

Alright, I'll wrap up their food and put it in the fridge. I'll meet you in the dining room, Spencer." He nodded to dismiss himself from the conversation, and made his way to the kitchen.

Spencer watched for a few seconds as Andrew walked away, and then turned around to walk towards the loud voices coming from the dining room. His smile was threatening to overtake his face, and he had a small spring in his step. He was glad that Mack's secret could be safely kept from the rest of the house's inhabitants. Rose and Mack didn't deserve to be teased incessantly by their fellow rangers.

Spencer would keep their little secret close to heart, and hope that in the future the two would find more than friendly companionship in one another.

They deserved that much at least.


	2. Early Morning Traipses

Well, I wasn't originally planning on writing another chapter to this. Hell, I wasn't originally planning on writing _anything_ for quite a while. But, ah… this kinda grabbed hold of me and refused to let go. So now it's 2 o'clock in the morning and I've got school in four hours. Meh. This was also supposed to be drabblish, but apparently it's beyond me to write anything shorter than six pages. _Great._

I felt there was something missing to the last chapter, so I tried to convey the status of Mack and Rose's relationship more in this one. It's a direct continuation of the first chapter, so… yay for continuity. This fic was originally supposed to be a one-shot, and this chapter just kinda came out of left field. I might continue it, I might not. I'm hardly ever in the mood to write, and I'm actually surprised I managed to drudge out these two chapters. But I'm proud of them, I suppose. It's not something I usually write, and I'm having fun with it.

Enjoy!

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"_There is a magic in that little world, home; it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits__" – _Robert Southey

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**Early Morning Traipses**

She woke to an incessant tapping on her shoulder.

"Rose! Rose, wake up!"

She didn't dare move. She was _tired_, dammit, and she was going to sleep as long as she possibly could.

"Rose, c'mon Rose," the voice was pleading with her by now, "Seriously, I'm _bored_. Wake up!"

The tapping turned to shaking, and it was like trying to sleep with a tornado rampaging through her room. No one could possibly sleep through that kind of torture. Besides, it was kind of endearing, hearing him plead like that.

"I _know_ you're awake, Rose. I can see that little smile on your face. Get up!"

She groaned and tried to turn over, but it was impossible because one of his arms was still around her, in the place it had been in when they had gone to sleep earlier. The other arm and the hand attached to it had gone back to poking her.

Since she couldn't turn over, she did the next best thing and turned into his chest so she could hide her face from him. She groaned again when the tapping didn't stop. "God, Mack, it's _four_ in the morning. Go back to sleep!"

He shook his head, obviously dead set against the idea. "I already tried, and I can't. I'm just not tired!"

She let out an annoyed puff of air, and looked up from the perfectly comfortable position she was in to raise her eyebrow at him. "So what, I have to suffer? I'm not the one who was sleeping all day, that's your own fault. Leave me out of this."

"But what _else _am I supposed to do?" He gave her a look. She gave him one of her own right back.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Go play video games or something." She shrugged.

"Boring. You're much better company than video games."

She couldn't help the shiver that tingled down her spine at his admission, but she ignored it and plowed on. "Solitaire?"

He laughed. _"_Sheesh, is that the _best_ idea you can come up with?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Go jump off a cliff."

He chuckled outright and sat up slightly with his head resting on his elbow, his other arm still firmly wrapped around her. "Exciting, but probably painful. Got a better suggestion?"

She laughed a bit. "You could go eat something."

He actually gave the idea a bit of thought, and she could almost see the gears in his head turning. But in the end, he shook his head. "I _could_ go get some food, but you wouldn't be there, so… _still_ boring."

She sighed. "I'm just not going to win this, am I?"

"Nope." He chuckled.

Rose rolled her eyes at the red ranger again, and gave her own small laugh, accepting defeat. "Alright, alright. Since I'm already up, I guess I'll go with you to get some food."

He laughed again, even louder this time, causing Rose to give him a strange look. "What's so funny?"

The indignant look on her face caused Mack to break into a huge grin. She was _really _fun to tease.

"I win. Again." His triumphant grin said it all.

She groaned and began to stand up, and instantly missed the warmth his immediate presence gave her, but that wasn't going to stop her. She stood all the way up and grabbed his arm, trying (and failing) to pull him to his feet. He wouldn't budge.

"Mack, this was your crazy idea, and I didn't get up for nothing. C'mon!" She heaved at his arm, but he still refused to move.

He laughed at her futile attempts to pull him up, and gave a sharp tug on the arm that she was holding onto, pulling her down onto the floor again.

She huffed. "Mack!"

"Yes?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I hate you."

He burst out laughing and turned to her, seeing his own smile reflected right back at him on her face.

"Of course you do!" His grin couldn't possibly be wider.

Rose shook her head at his absolute silliness, and watched Mack finally get to his feet. She took his offered hand, and stood, putting her hands on her hips in mock indignation.

He ignored her silly pose and grabbed her elbow, walking off while pulling her out of the room with him. When they got out of the room he let go of her arm, but he made a point of walking as close to Rose's side as he possibly could.

She smiled, and teased him a bit by knocking her shoulder into him, but the second she shoved him, he moved right back to her side. She smiled up at him and said nothing, simply enjoying the moment.

The two entered the kitchen, and Rose went to sit down at the table, while Mack made a beeline for the fridge. Rose's stomach growled slightly and she was reminded that neither of them had eaten dinner the night before. She laughed a bit.

Mack heard the small laugh and turned to give her a grin. "See Rose, I told you getting some food was a good idea."

She smiled and nodded, and he turned back to the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. She maneuvered her head to try and see what he was looking at, but it was to no avail. "See anything good?"

"We've got some leftover fish from dinner last night, but that doesn't exactly sound too appetizing right now. What d'you think?"

She nodded her head in agreement. "I don't think my stomach is up for anything fishy right now either," an idea came to her, "Hey, do you have any cereal?"

Mack smiled, obviously happy with the idea of breakfast. "Only every single brand you can possibly imagine!" He pointed to a spot behind her. "All of it that we've got is in there."

Rose nodded and stood up, going over to the cabinet Mack had pointed at. When she opened it, her eyebrows shot up. "Man, when you said you had every brand imaginable, you weren't kidding!"

Mack grabbed the milk out of the fridge and went to grab some bowls. "Of course I wasn't," he smiled, and it lit up his entire face. "Would I ever lie to you?"

Rose grabbed some random box out of the cabinet and turned around, a smile on her face and trust in her eyes. "Of course not." Mack's smile got even brighter.

"C'mon, Rose, follow me!" Mack grabbed two spoons out of a drawer, and walked out of the kitchen, Rose following diligently behind him.

She caught up to him as they reached the stairs, and she stood close to him as they made their way up the staircase. She sent him a questioning look. "Mind telling me where we're going?"

He looked down at her, a smile on his face and his eyes bright. "The game room."

She scrunched her eyes at him in such an adorable way that he couldn't help but laugh at the look.

"Why in the world are we going to the game room?"

He gave her a look that told her that she should know _exactly_ why they were going to the game room. "Because the chairs in the kitchen aren't comfortable at_ all_. Duh."

He smiled at her and she laughed, shaking her head at his silly logic, but not bothering to disagree. He was right, anyways. The chairs in the kitchen were stiff, and to tell the truth, they hurt her back. For some strange reason she was sure he knew this, and that it was his main reason for taking her to eat elsewhere. Well, _she_ wasn't about to complain.

They reached the game room, and Mack immediately plopped down on the floor in front of the couch, using it as a back rest. Rose followed suit and sat down next to him. She set down the cereal she had picked out, and turned to give Mack a questioning stare when he started laughing at her. "What's your problem?"

His laugh turned into a grin, and he flicked his hand at the box she had brought with her. "I just never thought of you as the type of person who would eat horribly sugary cereal, is all. Artificial flavoring, Rose? Just doesn't suit you."

His grin was infectious. Still, she punched him in the shoulder mockingly. "What, I'm not allowed to like sweet foods?"

He shrugged. "Just seemed to me that you'd be the type of person to eat tasteless wheat by-product for cereal."

She shook her head, laughing. "You're confusing me with Ronny. _She's_ the one who's madly in love with granola and corn flakes."

"She's just as boring as corn flakes, too." Rose raised one eyebrow and gave him a look. He put his hands up, defending himself.

"No offense to Ronny or anything, she's a great person. But you're definitely better company, Rose. You _know_ Ronny wouldn't wake up with me at four in the morning just to eat cereal and talk," at this, Rose grinned and smiled up at him. Mack mussed her hair and kept going, "Besides… I'd _much_ rather spend moments like this with you. It'd be really awkward doing something like this with Ronny."

Her body tingled all over at the feeling she got from the look he was giving her. He was smiling that wonderful little grin he got when something made him intensely happy, and she couldn't help but send her own little grin right back to him. He reached his hand up and messed up her hair even more, and then bumped her with his shoulder, grinning all the while. She couldn't help but smile; Mack could be very endearing when he was in a silly mood.

But she couldn't help the smug feeling she felt, knowing he would never spend his time doing things like this with anyone else on their team. Her emotions must have shown on her face, because he chucked a bit.

She ignored the laugh and grabbed a bowl out of his hands so she could pour herself some cereal. She went for the box, but his hands darted out and grabbed it just as she was about to reach it. Rose glared up at him, but he just stuck his tongue out at her.

He poured the cereal into both bowls and then went for the milk, but Rose was ready this time and grabbed it before Mack could get it for himself. "Hey!"

All he got was a smug look in return. He let out a small _hmph,_ and she laughed.

She gave him the milk to pour into his own cereal, and she picked up a spoon and began to munch on her breakfast. Mack followed suit, and soon enough they sat in a comfortable silence, just eating and enjoying the company of one another.

Rose finished her cereal before Mack. She put her bowl down on the ground, and set her head back on the couch behind her, trying to get comfortable. Her neck began to get sore, so just as soon as Mack put his bowl down, she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Rose sighed contentedly.

She could feel Mack turn his head to look down at her, and she wished she could see his expression. She desperately wanted to see if she could read on his face the same kind of emotions she was feeling.

But she didn't need to see. She got her answer when Mack rested his head on top of hers, then reached his arm down to hold one of her hands in his. She closed her eyes and smiled. They sat in silence for quite a while, perfectly content.

Mack began tracing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Then he reached over with his other hand, and began to massage her palm with both of his hands. She watched as his did this, and marveled at the size of his hands compared to hers. His hands were ever graceful, always moving. She was practically hypnotized.

Rose tore her glance from his hands to look up at his face. Mack had a curious look on his face that she had never seen before. She became concerned, and with her free hand, cupped his chin to turn his face toward hers. She let her hand fall to the floor. "Are you okay?"

He gave her a small smile to assure her he was fine, and turned his gaze back to the hand he was massaging. Then he let out a small sigh, "What are we doing, Rose?"

He stopped the movement of his hands and clasped her small hand in his much bigger one. She looked away from his face and rested her head on his shoulder again, staring at their joined hands.

She closed her eyes, trying to think up an answer. She found nothing. "I don't know, Mack."

He blinked, but didn't move at all. She knew he wasn't opposed to whatever it was that they were doing; he just wanted to know what it all meant. But she was just as confused as he was.

Rose glanced back up at his face, and then returned to stare at their hands once again. She started over. "I don't know, but I… I don't want this to stop, whatever it is."

He nodded, and she was relieved to see a smile on his face again. He looked down to see her shyly smiling up at him, and he smiled down at her softly.

He got to his feet, pulling her up with him. The second the two had made it to their feet, Mack reached out and grabbed Rose into a tight hug. She closed her eyes and leaned into Mack, resting her head on his chest and drawing comfort from the steady beat of his heart.

Mack felt her lean into him and relaxed his grip on her, but didn't let go. He leaned his head down onto her shoulder and sighed. "Thank you, Rose."

She looked up at him and smiled, conveying her thoughts through her bright brown eyes. Mack smiled back and tightened his arms around her once more before letting her go.

Rose leaned down to pick up the bowls and spoons they had left on the ground. Mack grabbed the milk and the cereal. "Better go put these away before Spencer kills us for leaving them out." Rose laughed in agreement.

The walked down the flight of stairs and made their way into the kitchen. Rose rinsed the bowls and the silverware and put them in the dishwasher while Mack put the milk in the refrigerator and the cereal back in the cupboard. Their tasks took a minute or so, and when they were done, the two made their way back up to the third story of the mansion.

When they made it to Rose's room, Mack let out a sigh and turned to face her. He grabbed her hands with both of his. She smiled up at him and let out a laugh, knowing how frustrated he was at the thought of having to leave.

He sighed again. "So… I guess this is goodnight, huh?"

She looked up at the conflicting emotions on his face. She knew he didn't want to leave, and frankly, she didn't want him to go either.

"Stay with me."

It was the last thing he was expecting her to say. He dared to look hopeful. "I… are you sure?"

She gave him a small grin and nodded. "You don't want to leave, and I don't want you gone. So… stay."

He didn't need any further encouragement. He practically skipped into her room and plopped onto her bed, much like he had done the day before. She laughed, and leaned down to pick up the pillow and comforter they had left on the ground. She made her way to the bed and climbed over Mack so she could be closer to the wall.

She faced away from him momentarily to grab her comforter, but before she could turn back around, Mack looped an arm around her waist and pulled her up to him so her back was to his chest.

She tried to turn over, but Mack would have none of that, and held her against her will. She laughed and attempted to wiggle out of his grip, but seconds later his hands were at her sides, tickling her.

She tried to stifle her laughter by smothering her face into the pillow, but Mack refused to let up. Rose tried to pry his hands away from her, but he was persistent and his fingers continued to run up and down her sides, drawing her into a laughing frenzy. Finally, it was too much, and she gave up. "Okay, okay! I give!"

She was breathless from the surprise tickle attack, and she leaned her head up to try and look at Mack's face behind her. "Sheesh, I let you stay here in my room, and this is how you repay me?"

He smiled back at her, amused. "You've got to stop letting me stay here, or someone's bound to notice that something's going on."

She was silent for a moment. Time stood still.

Finally, Rose spoke. "Mack, there _is_ something going on between us, right?"

His answer was immediate. "God, I hope so."

She was all smiles, but slightly smug. The thought of losing him to someone else scared her more than she thought anything else ever would. It was a comfort to know he wouldn't share nights like these with anyone else. "Good."

She laid her head onto her pillow, suddenly realizing how tired she actually was. Mack yawned, and she knew he was feeling the effects of their late night too.

Rose couldn't see it, but Mack was smiling widely, finding comfort in the security of their budding relationship. He tightened his hold on Rose, and kissed the back of her head tenderly. She looked up at him and smiled, then lay her head back down and pushed herself as close to him as she could get. She reached her arm down to the hand that was clutched around her waist and intertwined her fingers with his.

He knew they both had to get up in a few hours for training, but until then, he would stay as close to her as he could. He wasn't looking forward to waking up, but he knew that it wouldn't be so bad. Waking up with Rose in his arms could never be the start of a bad day. He knew that as long as she was there with him, the harsh practices and early mornings would be easily bearable.

So, with one last smile, he let his eyes rest, and allowed himself to fall asleep to the rhythmic sound of her light breathing.


	3. Afternoon Gatherings

Whew! And here comes another chapter. I'm just on a roll, now. Sheesh! Even if Overdrive turns into a crap season and sucks from here on out, the one good thing I can say about it is that it finally got me to start writing again. This is crazy.

Right, so in case you haven't noticed, the little status bar on this fic says '_complete_'. Well, it's said that since the first chapter, but there's actually a reason for it.

This fic is going to continue to stay as a series of connected one-shots, because I have this little problem of never finishing the things I start. As it stands right now, I don't have any current plans for this fic; I write when I get inspired, just as I've always done. If I officially make it a series, I'll feel like I _must_ update, and then the chapters start sucking, and then I get uninspired, and then updates stop altogether. It's more of a psychological thing, but it's a good thing in the long run. Believe me.

This chapter takes place pretty much right after the episode '_Lights, Camera, DAX!'_. You'll see what I mean after you start reading. This chapter also has kind of a more…cutesier feel than what I was originally was going for, but it got the point across, I suppose. I'm still trying to get down the feel for this type of genre, so excuse the weirdness. I tried to get their characters down as well as I could, but sometimes I failed. I'm human, guys. Sorry.

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_If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them._ –Henry David Thoreau

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**Afternoon Gatherings**

Done!

Finally, _finally _done!

Rose couldn't help but sigh at the thought. She practically skipped as she made her way to the storage cabinet to put away the mops, sponges, and other materials she had been painstakingly tortured with in the past few hours.

Twenty-seven bathrooms. Who knew?

She had split the cleaning with Dax. They played rock-paper-scissors for the odd numbered bathroom and she, wonder of all wonders, was left with it. The other rangers tried to be sympathetic: Oh, what's one more bathroom to clean? It's only 14 of them, as opposed to the 13 you had to do already. No harm, right?

Oh, how _wrong_ they were. Those bathrooms were huge!

…but it was over! Done! Finito!

Rose let a happy grin take over her face. She finished putting the cleaning equipment away, and walked toward the game room where she could hopefully find some human interaction. Sponges made bad friends, and she was desperate for someone to talk to.

She found her way up the stairs and into the game room, where she found Dax and Mack, sitting in relative silence opposite from each other on separate couches. Rose grinned as she walked through the door, the two not even noticing she was there.

She threw up in hands in excitement. "I'm _finished_!" She all but yelled the phrase.

Dax jumped, and Mack looked up at her with an amused grin and a raised eyebrow. She laughed and plopped on the floor, smiling like an idiot.

Dax just shook his head. Mack smirked and decided to tease her. "Took you long enough, Rose."

She glared at him and gave an animated _humph_, and the turned her head away from him in anger. It would've fooled him, save for the little smile she had at the corners of her mouth.

Dax, ever the buzz kill, decided to butt in. "He's got a point. I was done hours ago!"

The glare directed at Dax was real this time, but she eventually rolled her eyes and fell to her back, letting out an amused grunt when she hit the ground. But Dax was persistent. "Seriously though… why'd it take you so long?"

Rose shifted into a more comfortable position, spread eagled on the ground. She lifted her head up to answer Dax's question. "I'm a perfectionist. While that nifty little trait of mine is normally useful, sometimes it can be a real nuisance."

The blue ranger was sympathetic. "Like today?"

Rose gave another groan. "Most definitely like today. All I could think about was getting my work done, and I couldn't _do_ anything because of those stupid bathrooms."

Dax raised an eyebrow. "Work?"

Rose tossed her hand flippantly into the air. "Yeah. Automatic repair software for the zords, megazord sequence formatting, hardware repairs," she let her hand fall with a sigh, "you know… the usual."

Mack smirked at her again and chuckled. "Dork."

Rose raised he head to retort, but Ronny decided to walk into the room at that very moment, patting her wet hair dry with a towel, and added to the conversation. "Hey, you guys! You know that a dork is actually a-"

"-we know!" Rose and Mack practically shouted and laughed out at the same time. Rose immediately forgot about her response to Mack's teasing so she could welcome their friend into the room, smiling all the while. Ronny just grinned to herself and sat herself on the couch next to Dax. "Fine, fine, I get it. No dirty whale jokes. You guys are no fun."

Mack shrugged, and Rose laughed at the silly conversation they had gotten themselves into. Dax looked around to the smiling rangers, obviously not comprehending the situation. "Waitaminute. A dork is a _what_?"

Ronny laughed out loud and Mack shook his head, keeping his laughter to himself. Rose was the only one who bothered to answer the blue ranger. "Don't worry about it, Dax. Whale anatomy isn't all that interesting, anyway."

Dax still looked a tad confused, but shrugged it off, opting to recline on the couch instead of listen to the other rangers babble on.

Mack looked around, noticing the missing member of their group. "Hey, any of you guys seen Will?"

Ronny looked over nonchalantly. "Yeah, he's upstairs getting dressed."

Rose looked up from her spot on the ground with raised eyebrows and a huge grin on her face. Mack, seeing Rose's look and immediately interpreting what it meant, attempted to hold in his laughter. Rose's grin turned into an evil smirk. "…and _how_, pray tell, did you grab hold of that little piece of information?"

Ronny looked confused for a second, before the meaning of Rose's question dawned on her. She frowned and gave Rose a surprised look. "Not like _that_, you sicko!"

She threw one of the couch pillows at Rose's form on the ground. "We were doing some weight resistance training and got all sweaty, so we had to take showers, is all."

Mack threw Ronny a look along with a raised eyebrow, and Ronny groaned. "You people are gross, you know that?" She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face from her friends' ridiculous antics.

Will walked into the room and sat down on the floor in front of the couch Mack was resting on. Dax, seeing the black ranger walk into the room, burst into laughter. It spread, and pretty soon Rose and Mack were laughing along with him, Will looked confused, and Ronny just rolled her eyes.

Will raised his eyebrows. "What's gotten into all of you?"

Ronny just shook her head, grinning from the infectious laughter in the room. "Don't mind them, Will. They're idiots."

Rose grabbed the pillow Ronny had thrown at her earlier and tossed it back to its sender, hitting Ronny squarely in the face. "Hey, I take offense to that!" Ronny huffed and Rose smiled.

Their laughter was cut short as Spencer walked into the room. "Sorry to inform all of you, but Mr. Hartford wishes for you to come downstairs. Food is being set at the table as we speak."

Dax looked up at Spencer questioningly. "Dinner, already? Who set the table? I thought that was my job tonight."

Spencer just smiled down at the blue ranger. "Ah, yes. Well, I figured you had enough torture today with cleaning those bathrooms. I did everything for you. Now, come on. The food will get cold!"

Rose smiled at the older man. "As always, you're the best, Spencer."

Spencer just grinned and made his way out of the room, motioning for the others to follow him. Ronny, Will and Dax followed, eager to get to dinner. Mack made his way to the spot Rose was occupying on the floor, and leaned over her. "You plan on getting up?"

Rose smiled. "Eventually. I'm still tired from that abysmal cleaning job earlier." She moved to get up, and Mack held out his hand to help her. She took it, and he pulled her up easily.

She smiled her secret little smile up at him, the one she used just for him when they were alone. Mack grinned back at her, and she moved to leave the room. Mack, however, had other ideas, and kept hold of her hand, gently pulling her back until she was leaned up against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and put his forehead to hers, staring straight into her eyes and smiling that damningly charming smile of his.

She smiled back at him, but her look held some confusion. "…Mack?"

He blinked and shook his head as if coming out of a trance, but the same smile was still on his face. "Later, after dinner…" he trailed off.

She looked up at him, and was surprised at what she saw. He was nervous! She couldn't help the huge grin that lit up her face.

Mack took the smile as encouragement and rephrased his question in his head, momentarily wondering if she would accept his offer. He continued on anyway, a small, awkward smile on his lips. "…spend the night with me, Rose."

She looked up, and smiled tenderly at hopeful look he was giving her. The decision was an easy one. "Of course."

His smile came easier now, and he bundled the smaller girl up in his arms, holding her close. Rose grabbed onto him just as tightly, taking comfort in his closeness.

Mack soon released his hold on the pink ranger with a small sigh. "We should probably head down to dinner, Rose."

She let out a breath of air and nodded her head. "Yeah."

Mack let go of her gently, but became amused when her arms, locked firmly around his waist, didn't loosen an inch. "Rose?"

She finally relaxed her grip on him and sighed. "I know, I know." She looked up at his smiling face.

He grabbed her small hands in his much larger ones, and brought them up to his face, kissing her knuckles. She smiled at the sweet gesture, even though she thought it was a bit silly.

Suddenly Mack laughed, breaking the quiet spell that had wrapped itself around the two. Rose frowned. "What's so darned funny this time?"

Mack smiled, holding up her fingers and inspecting the tips of them. "Your fingers are still pruney."

Rose ground loudly and pried her fingers out of his grip, sending him a look and then stalking off outside the door. Mack laughed outright and ran a bit to catch up with her in the hallway. "It's true!"

She laughed at him rolled her eyes. "It's official," Rose threw her hands up into the air in defeat, "I _hate_ sponges!"

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Rose sat with her back against the wall, reading a large paperback novel. Dinner had ended hours before, and she had spent the remaining hours of the day catching up on her reading.

Soon enough, Spencer stopped by her open door, announcing lights out. She looked over at the clock on her nightstand, surprised at how fast the time had gone by.

"Rose?" Spencer had raised an eyebrow at her silence, and she gave him a grin.

"Thanks Spencer. Sorry, I'm just tired. I'll turn the lights off in a few." He nodded, and she heard his footsteps move a ways down the hall before stopping at another door and knocking.

She got up and closed her own door, thinking of ways she could waste time until it was time for her to sneak into Mack's room.

She decided that the first thing to do would be to put on her pajamas. She pulled out a pair of pink and white striped bottoms from her dresser, and then picked out a random white tanktop from her closet. As soon as she was done getting dressed, she sat on her bed, her toes playing with the plush carpet underneath her feet. She was at a loss at what to do next.

She heard Spencer making his rounds to the bedrooms across the hall, and reached over to turn off her light, sending her room into darkness. She plopped back onto her bed, dangling her legs off the side of it.

Since she had nothing to do, she contemplated her plan on getting into Mack's room unnoticed. As always, the thought of being alone with the red ranger made her skin tingle, and she felt herself smiling at the thought of curling up next to him.

She found it strange at how easy she could adjust to being alone with Mack. When ambling about she preferred being with a group, or just being alone. She wasn't very adept at one-on-one conversations, and would usually act awkwardly around people she didn't know. With Mack, it was an entirely different story, even from the beginning. It was easy to just relax around him. His comforting smile was all it took to calm her down.

She smiled, coming out of her daydream, and figured enough time had passed to allow her to slip around the mansion unnoticed. However, when she stepped out of her room, she saw Spencer sitting on a chair right across the wall from Ronny's room, reading a book. She cursed her bad luck.

The older man looked up. "Rose? What are you doing out of bed?"

She improvised. "Just going to get a glass of water, Spencer. I'll be back up in a minute."

As she walked down the two flights of stairs, she re-thought her plan. She didn't expect to see Spencer waiting outside their rooms, but the more she thought about it, the less surprised she was. Ronny and Will had been caught sneaking into each other's rooms more than once lately, and Mack's father had put a stop to that as fast as he possibly could. She didn't think that it was all that fair to make Spencer pay for the two ranger's bad deeds, but then again, she was a hypocrite. Who was she to chastise the two for sneaking into each other's rooms when she was planning on doing the same thing herself?

She smiled. Somehow, she didn't think Spencer really cared all that much if there was any 'unhealthy fraternizing' going on in the house. She had noticed that every time he spotted Mack and her together he would send the two of them a little mysterious little smile.

Frankly, it was unnerving. But she knew that if she was caught sneaking about, Spencer would send her to the chopping board. Orders were orders. Andrew Hartford was a stubborn man when it came down to it, and he would no doubt have her clean as many toilets as it took to get Mack out of her mind.

She shivered at the thought. Ugh, sponges.

Rose grabbed a glass of water, drank it, and headed back upstairs, a plan already formulated in her head. She walked past Spencer and went inside her room, but before she closed the door she turned herself invisible and walked right back out. The door slid shut behind her with a _thud_, and she saw Spencer look up and right through her, checking to see that she was safely tucked inside her room.

She snuck quietly past him, and when she turned around the corner into a new wing of the mansion she allowed herself a small laugh of victory. Oh, how she _loved_ her genetic powers!

She snuck up to Mack's door and slipped the door open, thanking the powers of the universe that his room was on an opposite side of the house.

She had just barely slipped into the room and closed the door when a pair of arms caught her from behind. She let out a small yelp of surprise, but relaxed as she heard Mack's deep voice chuckle behind her.

Rose grabbed onto the arms that were so snugly fit around her and pulled him impossibly closer. She looked up and smiled. "Hi, you."

He grinned down at her and kissed the top of her forehead. Her smile grew wider. "Hmm," he raised an eyebrow in question, "what took you so long?"

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. "Spencer's prowling the hallways again."

He voiced a sound of disapproval. "I wish Ronny and Will could be less obvious. They could use a lesson in subtlety." Rose nodded, almost imperceptibly. He went on, "Anyway, how'd you manage to get away?"

Rose laughed. "I think your dad made a mistake in messing with our genes. These new abilities are casing him a lot more problems than I think he even realizes."

He muttered a noise that was a half-laugh, half-purr. The sound of it reverberated in his chest and against her back, and sent goosebumps racing across her skin. She could practically feel him smiling. "Let's just keep it our little secret then, hmm?"

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, burrowing her face in his chest. He smiled, and hugged her, simply reveling in the feel of her pressed up against him. He still had no idea what they were calling their relationship, but it struck him that he really didn't feel the need to give a name to what they were doing. He knew that she was fine just as they were; being together like this was more than enough. He smiled.

Rose, a stray thought catching up with her, laughed suddenly. Mack looked down at her, a questioning look written in his eyes.

Rose's laugh died down to a grin. "You know, Ronny would _kill_ me if she knew I was using my powers to sneak into your room in the middle of the night."

Mack also laughed at the thought, "More like she'd kill _for_ your powers. Just think of how jealous she'd be!" Rose grinned at the thought of the indignant face she knew Ronny would make if she were caught sneaking into Mack's room.

"It's probably a good thing I'm the one that got the power of invisibility. She'd be sneaking into Will's room every night, otherwise."

Mack looked down at her with a sly smile. "Isn't that _exactly_ what you've been doing, Rose?"

She let her hands slide down from Mack's neck to settle, flat-palmed, on his chest. "If I recall correctly, _you're_ the one who's been sneaking into my room, not the other way around."

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Same difference."

She laughed, but halfway through it turned into a yawn. Mack's own laugh turned into a soft smile as he lifted up his hand and lightly stroked her cheek. "Tired, Rose?"

She yawned again and nodded her head, reveling in the feel of his soft hand against her skin. "Yeah, a bit."

Mack had begun to feel fatigue gnaw at his mind as well. "Well, I know a way to fix that."

Rose let out a small yelp as Mack suddenly picked her up, and carried her to the bed. He laughed as he threw her down onto the mattress, and she folded her arms across her chest, sending him a small glare.

Mack smiled down at her. "That hardly makes you look any more dignified, you know."

She rolled her eyes at him and patted the empty spot on the bed beside her. "Shut up and lay down, already."

He laughed, but did as he was told. "As the kind lady commands."

She curled up against his side and her speech was made inaudible by his shirt. "Hmph."

He let out a small smile and ran is hand through her hair, effectively quieting her muffled complaints. She sighed as he turned and wrapped his arms around her waist so he could bring her closer. He let out a soft sigh of his own. "Good night, Rose." She could hear the smile in his voice.

She grinned into his chest, breathing in his familiar scent before letting herself rest comfortably against him.

"Good night, Mack."


	4. Daily Misgivings

So, I'm back. Miss me? I know, I haven't either. Pity. And I've finally changed the status on this fic to _In Progress_! Why? Because I'm stupid, that's why. Hah.

Small anecdote: So, this chapter was written before I saw the episode _Face to Face_. There's a reference in here to the Sonic Streaker (Why can't they just call it the Jet? _So _much easier) before it's used in Ultimate Daibouken-Drivemax-_Whatever_. The timeline of this chapter, as compared to the series would be in between _Lights, Camera, DAX_ and _Face to Face_. This chapter is also an (almost) immediate continuation from the last chapter.

This chapter ends in a kinda-sorta cliffhanger, but don't worry about me abandoning this fic and never finishing it; I've already got the next chapter written. Actually, I wrote the next chapter_ before_ I wrote this one, but I felt it needed something in-between to set it up a bit more. So this is what you get. This chapter's short (for my standards), but don't you worry, the next one's a whopper!

Speaking of which, I'd just like to know, which would you prefer: long chapters or short? The short ones might be out a little faster, but they might be a little rushed. I personally prefer long chapters, but I know some people are different. So…just gotta know.

Reviews are always appreciated!

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"_If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."_ – Samuel Johnson

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**Daily Misgivings**

She was warm.

It was the first thought on Rose's mind as she woke up from her peaceful slumber. She kept still for a number of minutes, resting in the quiet comfort of the early morning. The heat of the blankets wrapped itself around her like a bubble and extended itself to the body she was contentedly wrapped around, keeping her cozy. The almost inaudible _lub-dub_ of Mack's heartbeat underneath her ear pulled her into a comfortable lull that she had no intention of leaving.

She felt Mack shift his weight under her, and she wrapped her arms around his torso to keep him still. He was lying flat on his back and most of her upper body was lying over his, with both of their legs lying in a tangle. She was comfortably nestled into his side, holding him close to her and he doing the same.

In the haze of morning the minutes floated by like hours, so it seemed like much later when Rose finally lifted her head up from the red ranger's chest to look at the clock on the nightstand.

It was early yet, she noted. The rangers started their morning training at seven, and it was only five-thirty in the morning. She groaned, wishing she had more time to sleep. Mack had woken her up in the middle of the night again, and they had spent the earliest hours of the morning talking about any random topic that came to their minds.

While she had enjoyed talking to him at the time, she was almost regretting the decision now. The both of them were going to be in bad moods for the rest of the day, especially her. She didn't function well at all on a lack of sleep.

Despite her disparaging thoughts on the loss of a good night's rest, she couldn't help but smile. Talking with Mack, even about silly, menial things, was always worth her time. Though they hadn't talked at all about the semi-relationship they had gotten themselves into, and she had kind of wished they did.

It had been a few weeks since their late-night talk about the relationship they shared, and for some reason they were both too afraid to bring it up again. They had come to some sort of standstill point, and it was driving her crazy.

Rose sighed and tuned slightly, crossing her arms atop his chest and laying her chin on top of them. She stared into the red ranger's face, and gave a little smile, thinking of how soft his features looked when he was sleeping. But her smile turned into a small frown.

The two of them were way past the halfway point of starting a relationship, and they both knew it. They were sneaking into the other's rooms in the middle of the night, finding stupid excuses to hug each other around the other rangers, sending each other sly looks full of half-spoken meanings, and plenty of other things besides.

She was truly, honestly scared of the way things were going.

She wasn't used to relationships. All of the closeness she had shared with others before joining the rangers had been short flings; something to get her mind off her work. Like she had explained countless times to countless people before, she never really had much time for anything else but schoolwork as she was growing up. She loved to learn; it was her passion. But she couldn't help but feel like she was missing out on some of the finer points in life.

She remembered once, when she was only fourteen years old, studying late for an advanced college Physics course. She fell asleep crying, wondering why in all the world she was pushing herself so hard. If there was one bad thing to say about her, it was that she was a meticulous perfectionist to a fault. So much so that she got lost in herself sometimes; she worked too hard for too long. She had her share of breakdowns. They were nothing too serious, not at all, but after enduring so much stress, it was inevitable that she would eventually burn out.

Mack was her reprieve from all of it. Being a ranger had been one of the most stressful things she could have possibly chosen to do, and he helped her to wind down at the end of every day. It was easy, _so _easy, to hold onto him for dear life and let all of her worries melt away. The red ranger exuded a sense of quiet comfort that she couldn't help but be drawn to.

…she didn't know what to make of their relationship.

Did she love him?

Possibly. She had read all about the elusive feeling: papers, psychology journals, cheesy romance novels, whatever she could get her hands on. Yet, she had no personal experience to base her emotions off of. She had crushes when she was younger, but this… the feeling she got when she was with Mack completely overrode anything she had gone through before.

It terrified her.

And it made her feel inadequate, something she wasn't used to feeling. She was always second guessing herself nowadays, and that was _definitely_ something she didn't normally do. Mack had turned her whole world upside down with a glance, and she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

She sometimes even found herself comparing her looks with Ronny's, which, looking back on it, seemed so ridiculous, but she still couldn't help it. She was much shorter than the yellow ranger and, she thought, not nearly as attractive, though Mack had told her otherwise thousands of times before. She wasn't used to thinking this way, and frankly, she didn't know what to make of it.

One other thing she felt: guilt. There was so much for her to do. Research, zord modulation… there were plenty of things in and around the mansion to keep her occupied. But her thoughts, no matter where she was, always moved back to the ranger she was currently laying on. The guilt ate away at her, driving her mad.

She didn't want to disappoint the team, or their mentor. She knew Andrew Hartford had set up strict rules against couples in the house, and she couldn't imagine what sort of trouble she and Mack would be in if they were caught. Could they really work out being together? She hated second guessing herself, and the thought of losing Mack's constant affection was heartbreaking, but would she have to put away the thought of a relationship with him altogether?

She knew she had a duty to do. A world to save. A universe to protect. The people on this planet were more important than her relationship with Mack. She had millions of people to safeguard. She couldn't waste her time hanging over some guy, right?

'_A wonderfully handsome looking guy…' _Rose shook her head, causing the ranger under her to stir. A pair of groggy blue eyes found hers, and his disheveled appearance caused her frown to lift against her will.

"Rose?"

She closed her eyes. "Hmm?"

He was quiet as he lifted a hand and ran it through her hair. She finally opened her eyes, and the intensity in them caused him to frown slightly in concern. "Rose? You okay?"

Her smile, though small, was genuine. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about…stuff." God, she didn't want to give this up. She lived for moments like these.

Her words didn't settle his worry. "You sure?"

Rose looked into his eyes, at the concern resting in them, and couldn't help but let her smile grow larger. She would think about her problems later; he was all that mattered right now. "Really, I am," She turned to rest her cheek across her folded arms, hair falling into her eyes, "Promise."

"Good." He sent her a smirk, and suddenly rolled sideways towards the wall so she was pinned her underneath him. He laughed. She rolled her eyes before relaxing, sighing at the feel of his weight covering her. He nestled his head in the crook of her shoulder, lightly kissing her neck before closing his eyes and resting.

Rose laid her cheek against his, drawing comfort from the close contact. He let out a sigh that came out as more of a purr, and her tinkling laughter echoed through the room.

Eventually she looked up at the clock, and found that almost an hour had gone by since she had woken. She groaned, once again reminded of the sleep she had lost the night before. Mack, shook out of a sleepy reverie by her groan, lifted his head up to look at Rose, eyebrows furrowed. "Rose…?"

She grinned at him in reassurance. "I'm going to have to get back to my room soon. Spencer will be making the rounds to wake us all up, and I'll need to be there when he knocks."

"Or you could just…not be."

Rose laughed again and shook her head. "C'mon Mack. Really, now."

Mack leaned himself up on his elbows to better look at the pink ranger under him. He smiled. "Y'know, Rose…I honestly don't think Spencer would make a big deal out of all of this." He waved an arm in the air in emphasis.

She caught his hand and pulled it back down to the bed, but didn't let go if it. "Still, it's just not proper. We're not Ronny and Will for God's sakes."

Mack let out an amused puff of air. "Yeah, I'd like to think that we had a little bit more tact than _that_."

She shook her head, laughing. "Still," she pushed on his chest and made her way into a sitting position, causing Mack to roll off to the other side of the bed, "I should get back. It's no fun keeping a secret when there's no secret to keep."

He smiled and grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles. "I'll see you downstairs, then."

She got up, a smile on her face. "Of course." Rose made her way out of the room, turning to smile at him one last time before heading out the door and back to her own bedroom.

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It was mid-afternoon, and she was with Spencer in the zord bay, making last-minute adjustments on an auxiliary zord. Rose looked up from the endless lines of code littering her laptop screen to glance up at Spencer. "So, what exactly are we going to do with this thing?"

The older man smiled at her and winked. "Oh, you'll see. It'll be very exciting when it's done." He put down a screwdriver and backed away from the wing of the vehicle to inspect his handy work. "We've got a few more touch-ups to do before it's fully up and running, but when it's done it should be a great help to all of you."

Rose looked up at him, smirking. "It combines with DriveMax and the rest of the auxiliary zords, doesn't it?"

Spencer gave a small laugh and turned in her direction. "One step ahead of the game, as usual." He walked over to a toolbox and started rummaging through it, "I shouldn't be so surprised."

He abandoned the toolbox to walk behind the zord and she heard more clanging. "Anyway, you're right. It does combine."

Rose looked amused as he walked to yet another tool box near the entrance of the bay. "But that's a ten-zord combination. Don't you think that's overkill?" she paused for a second to think, "Has that even been _done_ before?"

"Not that I can remember off of the top of my head, no. But who knows? Mr. Hartford is- _Aha_!"

He held up the tool he had been looking for triumphantly, and walked back over to the jet-like zord, smiling. "As I was saying, Andrew is quite the overachiever. 'Go big or go home', as he likes to say."

Rose laughed, a wide grin on her face. "That just means more work for you, huh Spencer?"

He raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. "Quite."

She laughed and stood up, closing the lid to her laptop and setting it gently on the ground in the process. She walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy. "Right. Anyways, I think I'm going to head upstairs for lunch. You want anything?"

Spencer shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll be just fine, I assure you."

"Okay then, see you later!"

He nodded his head goodbye as she made her way out of the zord bay. She sat through the elevator ride quietly, but when the doors opened, her ears were met with a cacophony of sound. She inched her way closer to the command center to try and see what was going on.

A loud voice boomed through the underground, and it surprised her. She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. '_Mr. Hartford? But why would he be so angry?'_ she thought absently.

She moved closer to the entrance of the command center, but stopped dead when she heard Will's voice. _"It's not fair and you know it! What the hell is your problem?"_

Ronny's voice trailed his. _"Guys, really, can't we just talk this all out?"_

Rose tried to get closer to the door, absurdly interested in the argument. What could possibly make Will so angry that he would yell at their mentor?

She heard Andrew reply, his voice getting louder every second. Ronny's plea for peace was ignored. _"My problem, Will? I'm not the one with the problem here! I specifically told you both that no relationships were allowed within the team, under __**any **__circumstances!"_

"_So? It's a stupid rule in the first place! What's the harm in a little bit of fun?"_

Andrew's voice was incredulous,_ "Rules are put in place for a reason, Will, and you disrespected this team by breaking them! …and fun? You're talking about __**fun**__? You're a Power Ranger! People's lives depend on you, and all you can think about is messing around?!"_

The voices continued to run through her ears, but she lost track of them. The world rushed around her, and she stood still, unable to move. Completely shell-shocked.

Her world came crashing down around her.

The guilt about her relationship with Mack hit her full force, ad she had to lean against the wall to keep from falling down.

Everything she was afraid of happening: the people she could hurt and the lives she would waste… she realized, with a shocking clarity, that those events could actually come true. She saw herself in there with Mack, arguing with his father. Rose imagined herself in Ronny's shoes, trying to be the peacemaker, but failing miserably. She could easily picture the look in Mack's bright blue eyes as he went up against his father, determined to the core.

It would be her fault. She would be pitting the son against his father, tearing a hole in an already weak relationship. She couldn't do that to him.

She _wouldn't. _

Mack deserved better than her. Rose had no idea what had happened to his mother, but Andrew was all of the family he had left. She couldn't tear him away from his family, from his _duty_. And what about the people they were all trying to protect? Didn't they deserve better? She wasn't going to risk their lives. She had to end her relationship with Mack. It was the right thing to do.

…but then why did it feel like her heart was breaking?

She slid down the wall, breathing heavily. Tears shone her eyes, yet to fall, as she sought to regain control over her emotions. She heard footsteps moving toward her, and her heart began to beat wildly, afraid they would catch her in the hallway. She managed to turn herself invisible right before Ronny made her way out of the command centre.

The yellow ranger looked sad, but most of all she looked defeated. It broke Rose's heart to see the proud girl reduced to something so subdued. A tear rolled down Ronny's cheek, and Rose felt like crying with her. She empathized with the girl; both of their relationships were doomed for failure, and they couldn't do a damned thing about it.

She saw the yellow clad girl move towards the elevator, probably looking to find solace in the emptiness of the hollow zord bay. She scrunched her eyes together, disheartened, knowing that the girl would only find Spencer and more questions waiting for her when she arrived.

Rose staggered to her feet. The argument in the other room was dwindling, and she knew that Will would soon be leaving. Spencer would also, no doubt, be coming up to see what had happened to make Ronny so upset. She didn't want to run into either of them.

Tears ran down her face as she made her way up the stairs into the main house. She didn't want to do this, but she didn't have a choice.

Her resolve hardening, she walked into the living room and wiped the tears from her face. Her voice was choked, but she knew she had to do it, for the betterment of the world and for the team.

It was time to end things with Mack.


	5. Midday Blackouts

Oh, not _this_ fic again. This thing's going to be the end of me, I swear. This chapter…is long, at least for me. I'm going to go die now, thanks.

Yeah. So, like I said before, I wrote this chapter before I wrote the last one. I've gone through this one with a fine tooth comb (more like a brush…) and fixed the inconsistencies, so the continuity works pretty well.

Frankly, I feel that this fic could end on this point and still work, but I don't think it will. It's got a few plots holes and extra strings I have to cover up still, and I've still got some ideas going for it. So… unless something drastic happens to me (like, say, I die), you'll get a few more chapters out of me.

Let's just say… this is _not_ my genre. I've never tried to write anything remotely like this, so if it's craptastic, well...my bad. Heh.

As always, I appreciate any reviews!

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"_Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."_ - Andrew Carnegie

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**Midday Blackout**

"I betcha I could jump from New Zealand to Africa in five seconds flat!"

Mack snorted. "I know your genetic powers are cool, Dax, but they're not _that_ cool."

Dax shook his head and crossed his arms, smirking. "You may not believe it, but I'll prove it. I could totally do it!"

Mack rolled his eyes and leaned back against the red loveseat, intending to sit and rest while the calming, light pitter-patter of raindrops fell against the windows outside. A bad storm had hit, and the rangers were stuck indoors. Left to their own devices, Mack and Dax had begun to compare their genetic powers.

Dax, earnest about everything, was persistent and wasn't going to let the red ranger stay still. Mack decided to go with his story and give Dax the benefit of the doubt, even though he was still skeptical. "All right… if you say you can jump from New Zealand to Africa, do it. Right here, right now." Mack raised an eyebrow.

Dax didn't even flinch. He jumped up and dusted himself off. "Alrighty!"

Mack's eyebrow rose even higher. "You're serious?"

"Yeah!"

And incredulous look came over Mack's face. "Dax…you're not _seriously_ going to try and jump to Africa." It was a statement, not a question.

Dax just gave him a little sly smile. "Five seconds, right?"

Mack's eyebrows came together in a frown. "…yeah. Five seconds." He wasn't sure whether to be amused or terrified. Lightning went off in the distance, and an ominous roar of thunder ran its course through their ears.

Dax took no notice of the storm and ignored it completely, opting instead to run off out of the room and around the corner. Mack, surprised, sat dumbfounded for a few seconds, but quickly jumped up and ran after the blue ranger. As soon as he got around the corner he was met by Dax, standing in front of the indoor rock wall. Mack was taken aback at his sudden appearance and fell right onto his back. The sound of Dax's chuckling hit him as he fell to the floor, and he couldn't help but grin at himself.

The blue ranger offered him a hand up, and he took it. "Alright Dax, what's all this about Africa? You're not really going to attempt this are you?

Dax looked at Mack like he had grown another head. "_Attempt_? Are you crazy? I'm gonna actually do it!"

Mack opened his mouth to protest, but before he could get a sound out, Dax had bounced his way over to the rock wall and had hoisted himself onto one of the rocks closest to the ground.

"Now, Mack. New Zealand." He jumped up onto a rock situated a bit higher. "Africa!"

Mack took note of the map on the wall under the rocks and let out an annoyed puff of air. "You're not _serious_…"

Dax, of course, wasn't put off by look on Mack's face. Not in the slightest. He jumped to another rock across the map. "The United States! Hello New Jersey!"

Mack couldn't help but laugh at the blue ranger. "Dax, last time I checked, Jersey was on the _east_ coast," Mack pointed at the map, "Right about now you'd be talking to the lovely people of Arizona."

Dax shrugged, and jumped off the wall, landing next to Mack with a _thud_. "I failed at geography during high school. See, there was this really nice girl that sat next to me and she-"

Mack interrupted, laughing. "I get it Dax, I don't think I need the whole story to figure that one out."

Dax smiled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, now that I think about it, well…y'know, she sort of looked like Mira." His face fell suddenly, and he shoved his fists into his pockets, clamming up. The sudden, awkward silence was thick. The only sound to be heard came from the patter of the rain outside the mansion.

Mack gave Dax a sympathetic look and put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. "Mira_trix_, Dax. She's not a good person, never was. Look," he gave him a shake of the shoulder in emphasis, "I know it sucks, but there's no sense brooding. She chose her own destiny."

Dax nodded, "Yeah, I can't let myself get so let down about it. We only went on a date or two. S'not like it was anything serious." His sad eyes and half smile spoke volumes.

Mack knew the other boy was in denial, but he decided to drop the subject. The wounds were still too fresh for the upbeat blue ranger. He veered the conversation into a different direction. "Right. So, no jumping from the _actual_ New Zealand?"

Dax laughed, and he was back to his old, happy-go-lucky self again. "Man, if I actually tried that, I'd kill myself!"

Mack teased him. "Yeah, but you could just _start out_ with New Zealand. Think of all the things you could do! First to Africa, then to Jersey-Arizona, then the _moon_!"

Dax scratched his chin in thought. "Y'know, I could make my way through the solar system! I _have_ always wanted to visit Pluto. It's my favorite planet!"

But before Mack could answer, a tired, empty voice came from the doorway. "Pluto's not a planet anymore, Dax. It got demoted."

Mack, recognizing the voice instantly, turned to smile at his team's pink ranger, but when his eyes reached her, the sight wasn't nearly what he expected to see. He frowned in concern. "…Rose?"

The pink ranger slouched, her back to the wall, with an exhausted look in her eyes and a frown on her face.

Dax was concerned about the forlorn presence of their pink ranger, and gave her a confused look. "Hey, Rose? You all right?"

She heaved a sigh and walked wordlessly past the two rangers into the sitting room they had occupied minutes before. They followed her in and sat down, waiting for an answer. She remained standing, looking anywhere but at the two other rangers.

"I overheard an… _interesting _conversation a few minutes ago. More of an argument, actually." Rose didn't look too happy at the thought.

Dax let out a breath. "That doesn't sound too promising. What happened?"

She turned to Mack. "It was your dad." She turned back to staring at the wall, finding more comfort in the blank nothingness than in the depths of the red ranger's eyes.

Mack noticed her odd behavior and eyebrows came together in a slight frown, but he ignored her strange actions. The argument was obviously bothering her, and he wanted to figure out what was going on. "Well, why would my dad be arguing with anybo-"

"-it was Will and Ronny." Rose interrupted, and shook her head at the boys' confused look before continuing. "You know how they've been sneaking into each other's rooms, right?"

Dax answered, not missing a beat. "Yeah, how could you miss it? Spencer's been prowling the halls for a week."

Rose nodded, and closed her eyes, calling up an unpleasant memory. "Yeah well, I don't know exactly what happened, but somehow…they got caught."

Dax grimaced and Mack mimicked the face, an unknown feeling making his chest twinge. It felt something like a mix of guilt and regret. He ignored it and looked up at the pink ranger, but she refused to meet his eyes. "How angry was he?"

Dax snorted. "Who, Will or Andrew? I'd imagine they were both yelling at each other."

Rose raised her eyebrows and nodded before taking a seat opposite Mack and Dax. "Yeah, they were both pretty fired up. Will couldn't understand what his problem was, and Mr. Hartford kept slamming arguments about duty and honor down his throat."

Dax rolled his eyes. "I honestly don't see the problem myself. It's not like they've been making out in the hallways or anything. They're not _trying_ to make a problem out of it."

Mack shrugged. "You know my dad well enough by now. He's always been a sucker for harsh rules, and when those rules are broken…" Mack shook his head. "The guy definitely isn't much fun."

Dax nodded his head emphatically in agreement.

Rose continued to look somber. "I just feel sorry for Ronny, though. I didn't hear her talk much, but I knew she was upset."

Mack nodded. "How could she not be?"

Rose shrugged. "I just wish I knew what was going to happen to them. I didn't stick around long enough to hear the rest of the argument. As it was, it was almost a screaming match."

A horrible thought came to Dax. "He's not going to fire them, is he? I mean, he _can't_, right?"

The red ranger gave a rueful smile. "I hardly doubt he'd be that extreme. Besides, who would replace them? I know for _damned_ sure that I won't let anyone else take their place on this team."

Rose's eyebrows rose. "Good luck telling that to your dad."

Mack shot her a defensive look. "Hey, my dad might be running most of this show, but he's not the one wearing red. It's _my_ job to protect this team, and I'm not going to let my dad rip us apart, especially when we all work so well together. No one's going to kick Will and Ronny out, end of story."

The determination in his eyes was enough to make her smile, even if it was just a little twinge of her lips. She was more proud of him in that moment than she had ever been before, and she was glad, more than anything, that he was their red ranger in the place the elder Hartford.

Dax smiled and bumped shoulders with older boy. "Hey, thanks Mack. That means a lot, you know?"

Mack smiled at the other rangers. "Hey, you guys are my friends. Nothing can change that, not even my dad."

Rose smiled at Mack, and he was glad to see some light enter back into her eyes. Where she was deeply troubled before, there was only a glimmer of worry left. He had managed to put whatever was troubling her at the back of her mind, and he was glad he did. He loved seeing her with a smile on her face.

Rose sighed. "Mack, you're horribly cheesy."

Dax laughed. "Yeah, man. This is totally a group hug moment."

Mack shrugged and held out his arms, a sly look on his face. "Hey, if you insist, I'm happy to oblige."

Dax chuckled again and slung his arm around the red ranger. Rose got up from her spot and walked over to Mack's other side, slinging her arm around him before reaching over and hugging the blue ranger. Dax smiled and let go of the two, while Rose did the same. Mack, a sad smile on his face, kept his arms around the shoulders of the two rangers next to him.

Rose sighed. "I hope Mr. Hartford doesn't do something rash. Or stupid."

Dax nodded. Mack looked down at the pink ranger and gave her a reassuring smile. "They'll be okay, Rose. It's just a stupid argument. We'll all get through it."

Dax turned to the two of them. "Yeah, hopefully sooner than later."

Mack nodded, and a flash of light momentarily caught the group's attention. Almost immediately after, a clap of thunder sounded right outside the mansion.

Rose looked over to the windows. "Seems like the storm's getting closer."

Mack shrugged and Dax grinned. "Yeah, this thing's supposed to hit us hard. They're saying it's going to get pretty bad."

"Well, thank God for that."

Rose and Dax looked over to Mack, confused. He shrugged. "Well, with weather like this, we don't have to worry about and big, bad, and ugly monsters attacking. They'd be crazy to even try."

Dax looked over to Rose, and she nodded. "Hey, he's got a point."

The blue ranger smiled. "Well, this should be a fun day, then."

The lights flickered. Mack looked around, confused. "Hey…what-"

The teens were cast into darkness. The only light coming into the house was from the gloom outside, and from the occasional flicker of lightning.

Rose sighed. "So, Dax. You were saying?"

He gave her an annoyed glare and looked in what he thought was Mack's direction. The next flash of lightning proved him right. "Hey, you live here. Where can a guy find some candles and matches in a place like this?"

Mack gave him a dry look. "You know, you live here now, too."

Dax shrugged. "Small technicality. So, about those matches?"

The red ranger lifted his arm into the air, giving Dax a half shrug and motioning towards the whole house. "Well, they're somewhere. Exactly where…well, who knows?"

Dax stood up. "Well then, I'm going to go look around for some. Anyone want to go with me?"

Rose gave a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "And run into walls because I can't see anything? No thanks."

Mack looked over at Rose, noticing that the pink ranger was still unsettled by something. He was concerned; it wasn't like Rose to dwell on sad thoughts.

He turned to Dax. "I think I'll stay here, too. Running into things doesn't sound at all appealing."

Dax nodded, and walked out of the room, giving a small wave.

Mack looked over at the pink ranger. She was sitting with her back against the seat cushions, slouched over, and was frowning slightly. Her eyes were trailed at her hands resting on her lap with her thumbs twiddling every which way. She looked almost… nervous.

Mack frowned. He couldn't think of a time before where Rose was uncomfortable when the two of them were alone. It worried him.

"Rose… are you alright?"

Rose looked up from her hands to stare blankly at the wall in front of her. She sighed and turned to him, dismissing his question. "A blackout, huh? Shouldn't you guys have back-up generators for this sort of thing?"

Mack knew she was avoiding his question. He let it slide. "Yeah we do, actually." He looked confused for a second. "It's strange….I wonder why they're not working?"

Rose looked back down at her lap. "…yeah."

He focused his attention on the pink ranger once more. "What's eating at you, Rose? This isn't like you at all."

She turned to him, her face carefully blank. "I guess… I guess I just can't stop thinking about Will and Ronny."

Mack sent Rose a reassuring smile. "It sucks right now, I know. But you shouldn't worry so much. They'll be fine. My dad's fair, he wont do anything crazy."

Rose looked over at him again, the sad smile on her face matched her gloomy eyes perfectly. She laughed a harsh, trinkling laugh. The sound was pitiful.

"I don't think you see where I'm coming from at all, Mack."

Mack turned his upper body towards her, a frown of concern masking his face. "Rose, I…"

She laughed again, its raw sound grating at his ears and tearing at his heart. He closed his eyes to steady himself, and when he opened them again he saw Rose staring into his soul, tears in her eyes.

"Don't you understand, Mack?" She was pleading with him to understand, "This isn't just about Will and Ronny."

Her eyes shined and her features flickered in the lightning coming from the windows. She had never looked more beautiful. "We've been doing the _exact_ same things. Sneaking out of bed, hugging in the hallways… what happens when _we_ get caught?"

It was a thought that had plagued him since the day he realized his attraction to the team's pink ranger. He knew they couldn't keep things a secret forever; their yellow and black rangers were a perfect example of that. It pained him to think that he would, some day, be yelling at his dad like Will had done earlier. He could imagine pleading with the older man, begging to let their relationship continue… it wasn't something he liked to dwell upon.

Rose sighed, taking his silence as an act of defeat. She threw her hands into the air and sighed to herself, half-listening to the thunder rolling in the distance.

"Maybe," her voice caught in her throat, but she pushed past it, "Maybe we should end this, Mack." Her voice was choked, and tears were almost spilling out of her eyes. "…before things take a turn for the worse."

He clenched his fists and turned to look somewhere, anywhere, but her face. Mack could feel wetness stinging at his own eyes. He spoke, but didn't dare turn to face her. "You're okay with just letting this… letting _us_, end? Just like that?"

She sat in silence, refusing to answer him. He stood up and walked in front of her, his hair covering up his eyes. A lone tear fell down her cheek, and she brushed it away angrily. He knelt down in front of her so his face was on the exact same level as hers.

Mack set his mouth in a firm line. "Just… if anything, answer me truthfully." He looked straight into her eyes, down to the depths of her soul. His chest hurt. He wasn't about to let her go without a fight. He couldn't just give up on her; he _needed_ her with him. "Do you feel anything for me, Rose?"

Her tears were flowing down her cheeks freely now, and she wanted desperately to announce an undying love for him and throw herself into his arms, but she had already crossed a line. She was resigned to her fate. She choked on a sob and forced herself to look away from his piercing gaze, away from any future she could possibly have with him.

He was desperate; her silent stare was eating away at him. He grabbed onto her shoulders, squeezing them harder then he intended to, but drastically needing to hear her voice, her reassurance that their fate together wasn't destined to end in heartbreak. He felt his own tears fall down his face. "Rose, _please_. Answer me." He loosened his grip on her shoulders, but the tension in his heart refused to ease. His resolve steadied. He'd do whatever it took.

She turned her head back to look at him. "Mack, please don't make this harder then it has to be." The look in his eyes was unsettling.

He grabbed her face and smashed his lips to hers.

Her first kiss with him was everything and nothing like she expected it to be. He was frenzied, scared, holding onto her like he had nothing to lose, and it scared her, shocked her to the core. She couldn't help but respond; her emotions were just as intense, just as desperate as his own, and she needed the release. She needed to convey to him that yes, _God yes_, did she have feelings for him, but she had no idea how this, the two of them together, could possibly work out.

He held onto her for dear life, tasting the tears on her lips, wondering, but not knowing exactly which one of them the tears belonged to. His heartbeat resounded in his chest, and he drew his face back from hers, missing her warmth, but needing to know what she felt. "Tell me… tell me that meant _nothing_ to you." He dared her, his bright eyes staring directly into hers, unflinching, but still desperately nervous.

She closed her eyes, her heartbeat hammering in her chest.

Her tears had stopped, but the intensity of her emotions hadn't lessened. He felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. He grabbed her face in his hands and whispered, "Tell me you don't love me."

Her resolve shattered.

She grabbed his hands and intertwined her fingers with his, feeling the wet marks on her own face. She shook her head almost imperceptibly and, with a sigh, let her face fall into the crook of his neck, finally feeling at ease with her own feelings.

He sensed the shift in her demeanor, and sighed audibly, glad he got through to his stubborn pink ranger. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, thankful that he could continue to stay close to her. He pulled her close, still kneeling in front of the couch with Rose's knees wrapped around his sides. He held her as tight as he could, and rubbed her back, waiting for both of their hearts to stop their heavy beating. The storm outside was still raging, but the one between the two of them had finally passed on.

Finally, he loosened his arms and brought one up to her face. He cupped her cheek and kissed her again, slowly this time, memorizing everything about the feel of her body close to his. When they finally came up for air, he looked at her and smiled , and she gave a hesitant one right back.

His eyes were bright as he spoke to her, his tone soft. "You're still worried."

She closed her eyes and leaned up against him. " How are we going to make this work, Mack?"

He grinned. "We'll manage, somehow."

She sighed and looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. Another sharp crack of thunder sounded overhead. "We'll manage? That doesn't sound too reassuring." She was grinning up at him.

The smile remained plastered to his face. "We'll keep it a secret for as long as we can, Rose. After that, we'll probably get chewed out by my dad and we'll be bitter for a week or two. But to tell you the truth, I honestly don't think anything drastic will happen."

She closed her eyes, the lightning that flashing through the window curtains was playing havoc on her senses. "…and what about rangering?"

Mack let up a confused eyebrow. "What about it?"

She gave a half smile, uncertain. "You're sure this won't get in the way of out duties?"

The red ranger laughed and smiled at her. "Not if we don't let it. Besides," he grabbed a lock of her dark hair and twisted it around his fingers, "we're both adults here, Rose. And we both know that our duties as rangers have to come before anything else."

Rose was fully smiling now. "It won't be easy."

Her smile was reflected back to her on Mack's face, his grin just as big as hers. "These things never are. But it's not impossible, Rose. It'll take some work, but we'll be fine."

She nodded, but something was still plaguing her. "…and Will and Ronny?"

"They'll be fine, too." The look in his eyes gave her hope that everything would turn out for the best.

Mack gave a small tug on the lock of hair he was playing with, and then let it go. "You're entirely too stubborn sometimes, Rose," He wrapped his arm back around her waist and interlocked his hands behind her back, "You worry to much."

She laughed and punched him in the arm. "Sometimes I don't think you worry nearly enough."

A sudden announcement echoing from the hallway knocked the two out of their reverie, and they jumped away from each other. Mack reached the couch opposite of Rose just as Dax entered the dark room, a bright light coming from an object in his hands. If he noticed their tearstained faces, he didn't mention it.

"Hey guys, guess what?" He motioned to the object in his hands, "It's crazy, I can't believe I didn't think of it before!"

Rose strained her eyes to see what Dax was holding, interested. "Think of what, Dax?"

He smiled. "Our trackers! If you change the settings, you can get it to let out a beam of light instead of reading hazard levels!"

Mack looked up at him. "Really?"

"Sure." He walked over to Mack and took a seat. He walked the red ranger through the process of setting up the flashlight. Rose grabbed her own morpher off of her sleeve and toyed with the settings, getting the flashlight to work easily enough.

She smiled. "How'd you figure it out, Dax?"

The blue ranger looked a little sheepish. "I didn't, really." He laughed. "Actually, I ran smack into Spencer. He showed me how to do it."

Mack nodded. "Where is Spencer, anyway? He's been suspiciously absent, what with all that's been going on today."

"He told me he was going back to the command centre; had some stuff to do." Dax shrugged.

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but immediately shut it when she spotted Ronny walk into the room, a mixture of sadness and frustration on her face. Rose patted on the seat next to her, and Ronny sat down with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.

She sighed. "This _sucks_."

Rose put and arm around Ronny's shoulder, offering the other girl what comfort she could. Dax looked up and gave a small sarcastic laugh that was very unlike him. "The weather totally matches your mood and everything."

She lifted her eyebrows in agreement. "Tell me about it." She sighed again. "So…you guys know what happened, I take it?"

Mack answered with a small smile, trying to be supportive. "Yeah, for the most part."

Ronny's face was blank. "How?"

Rose spoke up. "Me. I was in the zord bay earlier, helping out Spencer. I left to take a break, and on the way back upstairs I heard Will and Mr. Hartford…talking."

The yellow ranger just shook her head and gave a rueful laugh. "Talking, right. If _that's_ what you want to call it."

Dax sighed. "How bad is it?" Ronny gave him a small, piercing, look. "I mean… Andrew's punishment. He didn't sound too happy, from what I could tell."

Mack visibly tensed, and Rose, seeing him tense, felt the weight of Dax's question sit heavily in her mind. The consequences Ronny got for her actions meant a whole lot more to she and Mack than it did to Dax.

Ronny continued, not noticing the tension between the red and pink rangers. "Cleaning duty for a month, extra physical training menus, monitored free time, hourly check-ins with Hartford and," she sighed, shaking her head, "…and _very_ limited contact with Will."

Mack let out an angry grunt. "That's bullshit."

Rose, though surprised at Mack's language, couldn't agree more. Ronny nodded. "I know."

Dax scrunched his eyes together, confused. "You're not going to stand for this are you? I mean., limited contact with one of your teammates? That's ridiculous!"

Another voice from the doorway surprised the four rangers. "Of course it is, but what the hell are we supposed to do about it?"

They looked over to see Will in the doorway, using his tracker as a light to lead him around the dark house, followed by Spencer who was carrying a tray of lemonade and a large candle.

Ronny looked up and gave a defeated sigh. "Will, you're not supposed to be here."

"I don't care."

The black ranger walked over to the couch, taking up the unoccupied seat next to Ronny. He put a hand on her neck, lightly rubbing the stiff muscles. She finally relaxed a bit.

Mack looked up at his butler, who had put the tray of lemonade on the coffee table between the couches, and was trying to light the candle he had brought. "Spencer…you don't have a problem with this?"

The older man finished lighting the candle before turning to speak to the younger Hartford. "While I usually agree with your father's judgment on most disciplinary matters, I happen find this particular punishment quite ridiculous."

Mack smiled at the butler, then turned his attention to the couch opposite him. "It's been bugging me and I can't help but wonder… _how_ in the world did you manage to get my dad so angry in the first place?"

Ronny laughed, and Will, for once in his life, looked embarrassed. The yellow ranger answered for them. "Well, basically… he caught us making out in the command centre."

Rose snorted with laughter, and Dax applauded. Mack had a huge grin on his face. "Oh, I wish I could've seen the look on his face."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "I hope you never have to, Mack. I'm sure he was livid."

Will nodded and raised an eyebrow. "That's definitely the word for it."

Spencer gave the two a stern look. "Now, let's hope you learned a lesson from this. As long as you keep your relationship separate from your work, I'm just fine with it. But don't expect me to be lenient with my punishment if I find you slacking."

Ronny nodded. "I know, Spencer. _We_ know. No need for the lecture."

He nodded. "Well, now that that's settled, I'm going to go look into fixing this blackout problem we seem to be having. Enjoy the lemonade."

Rose answered. "Sure thing, Spencer."

Will shrugged to himself after watching the butler leave the room. "This whole situation is still pretty horrible, though."

Dax threw him a reassuring look. " Don't worry yourself too much over it, Will."

Mack nodded. "Yeah, we've all got your back. We're behind you one-hundred percent of the way."

Ronny smiled at the rest of the team. "Thanks guys."

Rose smiled right back. "It's not a problem at all Ronny. We're a team, we stick together no matter what. Mack will make sure of that."

She sent Mack a grin that he returned enthusiastically. "Without a doubt, guys."

Dax slapped his hands to his knees. "Enough with all this crazy talk, I'm sick of the whole subject!"

Will looked over at Dax. "Oh, and what do you propose we talk about? You?"

"Sure!"

Mack shot Rose a small, secret smile as Dax went on about various movies and stunts he had once performed. She winked at him, and then sat back into the cushion and leaned her head back against the frame of the couch. She was perfectly content to listen to the rest of the team talk and banter amidst the light rain she could barely hear on the edge of her senses.

Her team would always stand up for each other, and the thought was comforting. She knew she could lean on Mack for support, but it was a great feeling knowing that she had the rest of the team to lean on too.

It was a relief knowing that when the inevitable time came for her and Mack's secret to be announced to the rangers, she wouldn't have to worry.

The chatter eventually died down to a murmur, and the group of rangers fell into a soft silence, listening to the rain fall lightly and the thunder boom outside the house.

The quiet wouldn't last long, but she knew that when another storm broke out, the rest of her team would always be there.

'_So maybe,_' Rose thought, '_the future won't be so hard to deal with after all._'


	6. Twilight Hours

This is another longish one, so I suppose that's pretty exciting. Hmm. There may not be another chapter for a while because I'm graduating soon and I really need to focus on that. But…who knows? Inspiration hits me at the strangest times, so an update might be sooner than I think. Crazier things have happened.

This chapter also takes place between _Lights, Camera, DAX_ and _Face to Face Parts I & II_, and is almost a direct continuation of the last chapter.

Enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated!

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"_The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."_ – M. Scott Peck

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**Twilight Hours**

The continuous pitter-patter of raindrops on the world outside the Hartford mansion provided background noise to the small argument going on inside.

"Your racecar is _not_ cooler than our megazord. Hands down!"

Ronny, who had taken up a seat at the foot of the couch, rolled her eyes. "Have you _seen_ my car, Mack? It totally rocks!"

Mack, whose legs were pulled up to his chest, rested his head against the arms on top of his knees and gave her an annoyed glare from his seat across the floor. Dax was viewing the argument from a safe spot on the couch behind Ronny, and Will was also on the floor, using one of Ronny's legs as a headrest. Rose was sprawled out on the floor underneath Mack's upturned knees, sleeping away the spat.

Mack gave Ronny an incredulous look. "Do I actually _need_ to see it? We're talking about a _megazord_ for God's sake. It doesn't get cooler!"

Ronny shrugged. "Sure, there's some cool features our megazord has that my car doesn't, but it's still ten times more awesome."

Mack rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Ronny. Your logic escapes me. There is just _no_ way could a car be cooler than a zord. A megazord even!"

She smirked. "Shows how much you know about cars."

Mack looked indignant. "Hey, I'll tell you, I happen to know _plenty_ about cars, thank you very much!"

Ronny laughed. "What, that they go _vroom-vroom_ and move really fast?"

Mack made a face. "Come on now, that's just messed up."

"It's not messed up when it's true."

Mack raised an eyebrow. "What's _true_ is that our megazord is more awesome than your car will ever be."

Ronny lifted an eyebrow of her own. "You still have no idea what you're talking about."

Mack lifted his head away from his knees and crossed his arms over his chest. "You just see here, I know that-"

A voice from the floor interrupted him. "For the love of God. The both of you, _shut up_."

Dax looked down to the pink ranger lying on the floor and laughed. "I thought you were sleeping!"

Rose groaned and sat up, Mack moving his legs so she could maneuver herself into a sitting position beside him. "Well, I _was_ sleeping, but you two won't stop arguing about ridiculous things."

Ronny's eyebrows furrowed. "It was hardly ridiculous! It's not my fault that my car is _clearly_ better than the zords, and he-"

Will clamped a hand over her mouth and effectively stopped the babble. He laughed when Ronny glared down at him. "The girl's got a point."

Ronny rolled her eyes, but didn't say another word. Will removed his hand from her mouth, a grin on his face.

Rose sighed. "Finally, some quiet!"

Mack chuckled, but that was the only sound in the room for quite a few minutes as the other rangers finally began to quiet down. Rose got up to lie on the couch Mack was leaning on, attempting to sleep once more.

Her reprieve was short-lived.

"I'm hot."

Rose groaned into the cushion, then turned to look at the blue ranger. "Of course you are. We _all_ are. We've been stuck in a blackout for hours without any air conditioning."

"Still!" Dax was practically whining, "Does anyone have a fan or something?"

Will shrugged as well as he could while lying on the floor. "I have one in my room, but it's not like we can plug it in or anything."

Ronny looked up from her spot on the floor to see Dax moping on the couch she was leaning against. She laughed. "A fan might not work, but you can start with taking off your jacket like the rest of us have already done. They aren't exactly windbreakers, Dax. You've got to be sweltering in that thing!"

The blue ranger looked down at his chest like he had never seen it before. "Y'know, that's a _really_ good idea!"

They other rangers laughed as they watched Dax struggle out of the blue-trimmed jacket.

Will, amused at his antics, began to tease Dax. "Sheesh. If it takes you this long to take off a jacket, you must have to wake up _extra_ early to get dressed for the day."

Dax, finally managing to get his jacket off, glared at the black ranger, a retort on his tongue. But the remark died in his throat the second he looked up and saw Andrew Hartford at the entrance of the lounge.

Will looked up, confused at the blue ranger's sudden silence. When he saw their mentor, he sat up quickly, scooting away from Ronny as fast as he could. The elder Hartford noticed the sudden movement but didn't say a word, opting instead to give the two a cold stare.

He looked away from the two rangers on the floor and focused his attention on the whole room, clearing his throat.

Rose, who had almost dozed off once more, looked up at the sound Andrew had made. She saw the red ranger in front of her tense up, knowing that he was slightly annoyed at having his father in his presence because if what had happened earlier in the day. She felt the urge to run her hand through his hair to calm his down, but instantly squashed the idea.

Andrew cleared his throat again with a loud _ahem_, and Rose began to feel her own muscles tense at the elder man's presence. What could he possibly want?

"I know you guys have noticed the blackout we've been having," The rangers groaned as he motioned to the candle on the coffee table that had burned itself out only an hour earlier. "But I assure you that we're doing to best we can to work it out."

Rose, though reluctant to talk to the elder Hartford, was interested in what was going on. "Mack and I were talking about it earlier…shouldn't you have a back-up plan for this kind of thing?"

Andrew sighed. "I do. Unfortunately, the generators that were originally wired for the house are now being used to keep the command centre up and running, seeing as how saving the world _should _be," he looked pointedly at Will and Ronny, "our first priority."

The black and yellow rangers sat unmoving, staring at anything but the elder Hartford standing in the doorway.

Mack furrowed his eyebrows at the look Andrew gave to his fellow rangers. It angered him that his father could be so careless about the team's emotions. His glare deepened, but he wisely remained silent.

Andrew continued on, not noticing his son's annoyed stare. "I've made a few phone calls. We should have this blackout situation dealt with soon."

Dax looked confused. "You can get someone to come out here and fix power issues during a storm?"

Andrew gave a curt laugh. "Let's just say that I know a few people that owe me a favor or two." He lifted an eyebrow and Dax shrugged.

"Like I said, there's electricity in the command centre. It might be more comfortable to wait out this whole fiasco down there."

The rangers nodded and Andrew began to walk away. At the last second, he turned around to stare at Will and Ronny. "When our electricity problem is fixed, I expect to have a long chat with the two of you. We still have some things we need to discuss."

Ronny nodded and Will remained unmoving. Andrew walked out of the room.

As soon as his father was out of earshot, Mack dropped his shoulders and heaved a large sigh. He looked toward the rangers sitting on the floor across from him. "I'm sorry you guys have to go through all this. The whole situation is just stupid."

Will gave a sigh of his own. Ronny moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, saying nothing. He grabbed her hand, grateful for the silent comfort, and looked over to Mack. "I know. Thanks for the support, Mack."

Dax spoke up from his spot on the couch. "Haven't there been any ranger couples before this?"

Rose looked toward him, nodding. "Tons. Which just makes this whole situation is even more ludicrous."

Dax shrugged. "Weird. Well, I dunno what his problem is, then. Maybe he just has a problem with couples in general." He looked at Mack for confirmation of his theory.

The red ranger shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't date much, and when I have gone out, I've always made sure that the place is as far away from my dad as I could make it."

Rose snickered slightly, which went unheard by all of the rangers except Mack. He gave a light chuckle.

"I'm at loss then, guys." The blue ranger stood up. "But in the meantime, I'm going down to the command centre where it's cold. I'm sweating like a pig up here." He walked out, throwing one last sympathetic glance at Will and Ronny as he left.

Once Dax had left the room, Mack got to his feet. Rose, seeing the red ranger stand up, followed his lead. He turned towards he two rangers on the floor. "I think I'm of half a mind to go and cool down, myself." He turned to see the pink ranger standing behind him.

Rose smiled at him, and then to the other two in the room. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan to me. You guys want to join us?"

Ronny looked to Will, who gave her a small smile. She turned back to Mack and Rose. "Nah, you guys go ahead. I think we've got a few things to sort out."

Mack nodded his head and grabbed onto Rose's arm, effectively pulling her out of the room behind him.

---------

He had let go of her elbow, but was walking at a brisk pace through the mansion. She had no choice but to follow him. He walked straight past the secret entrance to the command centre, and she quickened her pace, catching up to him.

"Mack, where the heck are we going?"

He turned around to smile at her widely, walking backwards and keeping the same pace. He smirked, grabbing both of her small hands with his. "It's a secret."

She frowned, confused, and he dropped one of her hands to turn and see where he was going, but still kept a firm hold on the other. He pulled her to the staircase and climbed up, making it to the second story. He stopped a few stairs short of the landing, while Rose quickly made her way up the few remaining steps. She stopped and turned once she noticed he wasn't following her.

She furrowed her eyebrows into a small, confused frown. "…Mack?"

He was still smiling, but it was subdued. She took a step down so the two of them were at eye level. "You okay?"

He nodded and grabbed her, pulling her into a hug. He loosened his grip slightly, the small, strange smile still on his face. "I just wanted to make sure you were still okay with this. With… us."

Rose laughed, struck by the slight irony of the conversation. "You go through all that trouble to convince me, and _now_ you're having second thoughts?"

He pulled her close, shaking his head. "Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, _really_ alright, with this happening."

She smiled and leaned into his chest. "I fine with it, Mack. I promise."

He let out a sigh and kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek on her hair. He grinned and lifted his hand to cup her face, his thumb tracing patterns on her skin. "So no more crazy thoughts of getting rid of me, then?"

He could hear the laughter in her voice. "No such luck, Hartford."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly, his lips barely touching hers. She gave an annoyed groan at the brief contact and pulled him down closer to her, locking their lips soundly together. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless.

He dropped his hand from her cheek to run his hand up and down her arm. It was a small gesture, but it sent goosebumps raining down her skin. She smiled up at him, and he grabbed her hand, puling her up to the third storey of the house.

The two began to walk toward Mack's room, but Rose was surprised once more when they bypassed the red door and entered a large guestroom at the end of the hall. She grabbed his arm, and he looked down at her, a smile in his eyes.

"C'mon, over here." He walked to the balcony door and opened it, causing the wind from outside to blow water droplets into their faces. Before she could protest, he was pulling her out into the pouring rain.

She let go of his arm and put her hands on her hips, getting more and more soaked with every second. Strangely, she didn't mind the cold water. After being trapped inside the hot house, being outside was more than welcome. '_Besides,'_ Rose thought, _'Anything's better then being stuck in the command centre with Mr. Hartford.'_ She tensed at the thought.

"Any particular reason for dragging me out here, Mack? It's raining like mad out here!"

He turned towards her voice and leaned backwards against the railing, throwing his head back and letting his face take the brunt if the rainfall.

Soon enough, he looked back at her and motioned for her to come stand next to him. She walked forward and rested her upper body against the rail. Mack turned and hugged her from behind, wrapping himself around her and resting his forearms on the railing.

She moved her head sideways to get a better look at him, his chin resting on her shoulder and his damp hair clinging to his forehead, sending water droplets cascading down his face. She smiled.

Mack had been quiet for a few minutes, so she was surprised when he answered her question. "I used to come out here all the time when it rained, or to watch the sunrise." His smile was soft. "I always thought that this was the best view of the grounds."

She saw lightning crackle to life in the distance, and a roar of thunder followed it. Another flash, and then another, giving the two rangers a spectacular light show. The thunder was almost continuous now, as the flashes became more and more frequent.

Rose tore her eyes away from the lightning to the look once again at Mack's face. A thought plagued her mind, and she wanted to get it off her chest. She turned her head away from his face and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mack."

He was confused by her sudden apology. He loosened his grip so he could see her face more clearly, but didn't let go. "What for?"

She sighed and looked down at her hands that were gripping the railing. "For freaking out earlier."

He smiled again. "It's fine, Rose. Everything turned out for the best."

She plowed on, undeterred. "It's just that…well, I'm not all that used to having meaningful relationships with anyone and-"

He chuckled, interrupting her. "I understand. Really, I do. There's really no need to apologize."

She sighed again, still feeling the need to explain her actions from earlier. "I know you do, it's just… I don't know what came over me. I've been so used to making decisions on my own, and when I heard that argument between Will and your dad, I flipped." She looked up at him again. "I'm still sorry."

He was silent for a moment, and then began laughing. She looked at him confusedly, and he smiled at her. "You really are too stubborn for your own good, Rose."

She shook her head, a small smile on her face, and didn't bother with a retort.

They fell into another soft silence and listened to the rain. They had been outside for almost half an hour, and were both soaked from had to toe. She turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, pulling ever closer, grinning as the rain trickled off his chin and onto her face.

He broke the silence once more. "You scare the hell out of me, you know that?"

She looked up, and was surprised to see him smiling softly at her. "Mack?"

"You're not the only one who isn't very used to relationships. I've been sheltered most of my life, and the only people that I have really meaningful conversations with are usually business executives."

She nodded, understanding coming to her in a wave. "So that's why you read so much?"

"Yeah." He sent her a small grin, and then looked out to the lightning on the horizon.

She frowned. "That sounds like a pretty lonely childhood."

Mack shrugged. "I got used to it. Most of the time, I was more bored than anything else."

He pulled her a little closer, but suddenly changed the topic. "You really shouldn't worry about my dad so much."

She raised an eyebrow, questioning him without speaking.

"He may seem tough, but when it comes to punishments and handling tough situations, he's mostly all bark and no bite. I know that better than anyone else."

She grinned at him. "Really now?"

He grinned right back. "Mmhmm. I was a little troublemaker when I was growing up. I put him through hell and back. Usually Dad was the one who would lecture me, and Spencer would dish out the punishments."

Realization dawned on her. "And with Spencer on our side…"

"Exactly." He gave her his most charming smile. "Like I said, I wouldn't worry so much. It's not worth stressing out over."

She nodded. Lightning crackled almost directly overhead and she jumped back when the thunder let out a deafening roar in their ears.

Mack's face remained impassive, but there was a tinge of hesitation in his voice. "Well, I think that's out cue to go inside." She bobbed he head emphatically, and the two of them ran for the patio door, opening it and dashing inside. They kept the pace down the hall until Mack tripped on an upturned section of the carpet, and pull Rose down with him.

She laughed and stood up, grabbing Mack's hands with both of hers and pulling him to his feet.

The red ranger dusted himself off, and then began moving again, slower this time. He put his hand to the small of Rose's back and guided her down the stretch of the hallway, the both of them still grinning like idiots over their mad dash through the house.

The two stopped abruptly when they heard a voice speak from the opposite side of the hall.

"Why in the world are the two of you sopping wet?"

Rose, who had unconsciously fell into a fighting stance, dropped her shoulders, smiling. "Hey Spencer. You caught us by surprise!"

Mack rested a hand on her shoulder, but his attention was focused on the older man who was holding up a candle and illuminating the dark hallway. "Hey, Spence. What're you doing up here?"

"Looking for the two of you, of course."

Rose sent the butler a questioning look.

"I've been checking in on Ronny and Will since the fight earlier, and I wanted to see how the rest of the team was holding up. However, the two of you seem to get lost in the… _strangest_ of places." He sent them an accusatory look.

Mack looked sheepish. Rose glanced to Spencer and grinned. "We were just checking out the storm, Spencer. It's getting bad out there."

He blinked. "Indeed. And judging by the state of your clothes, you might as well have brought the storm in here with you. Now, come on. To the bathroom with the two of you. You're dripping all over the floor."

The butler ushered the two of them through Mack's room and into the large connecting bathroom. Spencer looked through one of the cabinets, a frown on his face. "Of course. …there are no towels in the linen closet. Just your luck." He sighed, and turned to the red and pink rangers. "I expect you both to stay right here while I go and find something for the two of you to wrap up in."

They both nodded and Spencer made his way out of the room. Rose sat on the edge of the tub, while Mack perched on the countertop next to the double sinks. The pink ranger shivered.

Mack's face grew concerned. "Cold, Rose?"

She rolled her eyes. "With the temperature in here? Hardly." She shrugged. "Just got the chills for a moment, that's all."

He nodded, accepting her answer, before patting the empty space next to him on the counter top, inviting her to sit next to him.

She made her way over to his side, attempting to ring out her hair in the process. "I am _soaked_!"

He laughed. "So am I. But you look good when you're wet." Mack smirked and shook his head so that the water droplets that had been clinging to his hair were scattered about the room. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

She laughed, scooting closer to him. He continued. "I, on the other hand, looked like a drowned rat."

Her head dropped to his shoulder, and she smiled. "You're definitely the best looking drowned rat I've ever seen." The red ranger chuckled.

"Well, at least I've got that much going for me." She made a small sound of agreement, and he laughed again.

The two heard a small noise at the door and Spencer walked in, fresh towels in hand. The two didn't have time to move away from their close proximity to each other, and found their hearts begin to race. Spencer stood looking at the two for a few seconds, and the two became anxious for the older man to react.

Mack held onto her waist just a little tighter, and sent Spencer a small, nervous smile. Rose lifted her head up from Mack's shoulder, but didn't bother moving away.

The two didn't need to bother being nervous. Spencer just grinned at the two of them and handed over the towels. They each grabbed one. Rose looked down at hers momentarily, and then looked up at the butler.

She was slightly confused. "Spencer…"

He gave the two rangers a reassuring smile, and motioned to the towels he had given them. "Make sure you two get dried off. We can't have you sick in bed when you're supposed to be off saving the world."

Rose gave him a small smile and looked up at Mack, who turned and grinned at her momentarily. Spencer made to leave the room, but Mack interrupted his progress. "Hey, Spencer…"

The older man turned around just as he was about to walk out the door and gave the two another smile, already anticipating the red ranger's question. "Don't worry, Mack. I've known about the two of you for quite a while now."

The two were dumbfounded. Rose tried to voice her confused thoughts. "But, how did you…?"

The butler just smirked at her. "I have my ways, Rose." He turned to Mack. "Don't you two worry yourselves. I won't say a word to your father if you don't want me to. I promise."

Mack smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Spencer."

"Of course. Now get dried off, or the two of you are going to catch your deaths!"

Rose heaved a sigh as the technician walked out of the bathroom, leaving the two alone once more. Mack smiled down at her.

She began laughing. He joined her, and soon the two of them were doubled over on the countertop, wiping tears from their eyes. Rose smiled and leaned back against the mirror, relief in her eyes.

Mack turned to her. "That was a whole lot easier than I expected it to be."

The pink ranger nodded in agreement. "Well, that's one down. Now, we've only got the _rest_ of the team to go."

Mack smirked. "You really want to tell them?"

Rose shook her head, her eyes still giddy. "Not at all! But you know it'll come out eventually."

He got up and stood in front of her, pulling Rose closer to him and hugging her. "Eventually. But until then…" He smirked. "We'll just have to make the most of our time."

He kissed her, and everything was right with the world.

She hummed in happiness. "You think Spencer will really keep his promise?" Mack smiled.

"He doesn't have any reason _not_ to."

Rose smiled and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. Mack laughed. "You're not as worried about things now, I take it?"

She nodded. "I'm still a bit apprehensive about your dad, but I figure there's no sense in dwelling on that." He grinned at her.

"It's just like I told you. Things will work themselves out."

She smiled and hugged him even closer. He held onto her just as tightly.

The lights suddenly burst into life, momentarily blinding the two. Mack laughed and Rose looked up at him, grinning. For once she felt good about the whole situation with Mack's father and the rest of the team.

For once…she was hopeful.


	7. Lunchtime Ramblings

I can't believe I trudged this thing out. I've been crazy busy, but it's a good thing. I graduate tomorrow! I'm excited! College should be fun; I'm really looking forward to it.

Anyways, I watched _Man of Mercury II_ and _Behind the Scenes_ yesterday. I gotta say... I really like Ronny and Tyzonn. A _lot_. I still like Ronny and Will because of the Masumi/Natsuki dynamic, but I can't help but like Tyzonn. I don't think I'm going to change couples (it's a little too far in to do anything about it), but I might add in Tyzonn for a little jealousy between Will and Ronny. Or I might not. It all depends, really. As for the way this thing is progressing now… I'm seriously lacking a plot. I know where I want to take it, but I'm still not sure of the overall outline of it. ….but oh well! I'll keep updating anyways, so if this story rambles onward without a plot, I'm sorry. At least _I'm_ having fun with it!

Reviews are appreciated, as always! It's nice to know who actually reads this thing, so leave a message. It makes me happy inside.

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"_You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."_ – Albert Camus

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**Lunchtime Ramblings**

Rose sighed as she walked down the long hallway. The envelope she was carrying seemed strangely heavy in her hand. The outside of it was plain white, and no markings could be seen on the outside of it. Yet, to her, it was as menacing as a dagger.

The pink ranger shook her head, dispelling her strange thoughts. '_It's just a silly piece of paper. It could be nothing!'_

She stopped in front of a door in the hallway, a frown marking her features. She desperately wanted to open the letter, but she knew she couldn't; it wasn't hers to read.

She straightened her back and knocked on the yellow-painted wood in front of her. Silence greeted her.

She knocked again, louder.

An exuberant but rushed _'Come in!'_ met her ears, and she opened the door to see Ronny on her bed, smashing buttons on a game controller in her hands. Rose cracked a smile. Turning towards the television screen, she raised her eyebrows as she watched dozens of multi-colored arrows fly towards the top of the screen.

Rose laughed, momentarily forgetting about the envelope in her hands. "I thought you were supposed to _dance_ to this game!"

Ronny shrugged, her eyes still glued to the screen. Rose leaned against the doorframe and waited for the song to be over before attempting to talk to the occupied girl. The arrows eventually came to a halt, and Ronny threw her arms up into the air in excitement. "I unlocked a new song!"

Rose raised her eyebrows. "But…you used the controller."

Ronny just laughed and shrugged again. "So? It's easier."

"I think the entire point of the game is completely lost on you." Rose deadpanned.

The yellow ranger threw the controller to the ground, a big smile on her face. Her mood was infectious, and Rose soon found herself smiling as well.

Ronny motioned to the folded dance pad that was collecting dust in the corner of the room. "I could use it. I just don't want to."

It was Rose's turn to shrug. "Whatever floats your boat." She paused, and then held up the letter, her smile slightly muted. "I've got this for you."

Ronny nodded and patted her bed, motioning for the other girl to join her. "Who's it from?"

Rose left her spot at the doorframe, leaving the door slightly ajar. She sat down on the bed next to Ronny and handed her the letter. "Hartford. Who else?" She handed to letter over. "He asked me to give it to you."

The yellow ranger shook her head, smile still on her face. It seemed even an ominous letter from their mentor couldn't put her in a bad mood. "He's really getting ridiculous, isn't he?"

Rose spoke, sarcasm eminent in her voice. "Yeah. I guess he's too _busy_ to give it to you in person."

Ronny raised her eyebrows at the girl sitting next to her. "Y'know, he could _actually_ be busy working on something."

Rose looked over to Ronny, confused. "You're defending him, even with all this crazy stuff happening to you and Will?"

Ronny pulled a knee up to her chest and rested her head against the wall behind her. She turned back to Rose and grinned. "He's a good guy at heart, Rose. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Rose shook her head. "I don't understand how you can forgive him all that easily."

Ronny grinned. "You've got it all wrong; I don't forgive him at all. What he's doing is still _really_ stupid." She waved the envelope in the air.

"I don't think I'm seeing where you're coming from."

The yellow ranger cocked her head to the side, thinking of the best way to put her feelings into words. "Well, there's got to be a reason for him to be acting so weird about this, right?"

Rose nodded.

"So… I guess I just want to hear the reason he's being so stubborn before I go and scream at him for being a heartless jerk."

Rose smiled, comprehending Ronny's actions. She pointed to the letter. "So, you going to open it or what?"

Ronny shrugged her shoulders slightly and tore at the white envelope, pulling a single sheet of paper from it. As she read it, Rose looked intently at Ronny's face, attempting to decipher what was written in the letter by reading the yellow ranger's facial expressions. She was morbidly curious about the whole thing.

When the other girl was finally done reading she handed it over to Rose, her face impassive. Rose skimmed through the letter.

Ronny was more amused than anything else. "He wants to see me and Will in the command centre later tonight. He's checking up on us to make sure we're not doing anything stupid."

Rose raised her eyebrows and smirked at Ronny, deciding to joke with her. "_Are_ you?"

The yellow ranger looked slightly confused. "Am I what?"

Rose's smirk grew larger as she teased the girl next to her. "Doing _stuff_. …with Will."

Ronny just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, opting not to indulge any information to the pink ranger. Rose took her silence entirely the wrong way.

She laughed outright, and she had to bend over from her laughing. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Ronny?"

The yellow ranger shook her head and punched Rose in the arm playfully. "You're a sicko!" She let out a giggle of her own. "You know I'm not doing that kind of stuff with Will. We've got too much _saving the world_ business on our hands to deal with that."

"But making out in the command base is perfectly fine?"

Ronny laughed. "Well, that's something entirely different!"

Rose joined in the laughter. She enjoyed teasing the other girl; they didn't get nearly enough time to just sit around and talk.

Their laughter died down, and Rose was suddenly struck by a thought. "Hey Ronny, you never told me how you and Will got together!"

Ronny smirked. "You really want to know?"

Rose gave her a look that very plainly said _duh_, and Ronny lifted up the corners of her mouth, smiling. "Well, I had realized that I liked him just after Mack escaped from Flurious and Moltar."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "That long ago? I thought the two of you have only been seeing each other for a week or two."

Ronny let out an amused puff of air and smiled at the girl sitting next to her. "We're just good at keeping secrets, I guess."

Rose gave Ronny a knowing grin. '_I'm getting pretty good at keeping secrets, myself.' _

Ronny looked over to the song credits playing on the TV screen, momentarily getting lost in thought. She shook her head and turned towards Rose again. "Anyway, back then I kinda had a thing for Mack, and was freaking out pretty bad when he got kidnapped."

Rose immediately pinned down the spout of jealousy that arose in her chest, but couldn't help but let a frown come to her face. "You liked Mack?"

Ronny laughed a bit and scratched the top of her head, embarrassed. "Back then I did. But when we got back to the mansion that day I confronted him and told him I liked him."

Rose couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the yellow ranger. "I didn't know about that!"

Ronny smirked at the other girls' dumbfounded expression. "That's because he told me he wasn't interested. After that I just figured he was interested in someone else." She elbowed Rose in the ribs, a teasing expression on her face.

Rose feigned innocence, worried about the topic of conversation they were headed into. "What was that for?"

Ronny rolled her eyes at the pink ranger. "C'mon, Rose," she gave the girl another nudge to the ribs, "I've seen the way he looks at you. He's totally into you!"

On the inside, her heart was racing a mile a minute, but Rose just shrugged and kept up an air of indifference. "Whatever you say, Ronny."

The yellow ranger huffed. "You seriously haven't noticed him staring at you? _Really?_"

Rose shifted, uneasy with the conversation. She hated lying to her friends. "It's not something I really pick up on, Ronny. I'm not exactly looking for it or anything."

The pink ranger shrugged again. _'Oh, my nose is growing longer by the second…_'

Ronny lifted her legs up on the bed and turned to face Rose completely, sitting cross-legged in front of her. By the eager look on her face, Rose knew she wouldn't like what would be coming out of the girls' mouth.

The yellow ranger, on the other hand, was eager for gossip. "So Rose, do you like Mack?"

'_And she's finally pulled out the big guns,'_ Rose thought, but her outward facial expression was still as impassive as always. "Haven't really thought about it, actually."

Ronny shook her head at the girl, exasperated. "C'mon girl, give me something to work with!" she paused to think, "Alright, do you think he's cute?"

Rose couldn't help herself and she smiled slightly, the image of a rain-soaked red ranger coming to mind. She shook her head and tried thinking of a new tactic to get Ronny off her shoulders about Mack. "Yeah, he's not bad looking, I guess."

"You think you'd ever ask him out?" Ronny was practically bouncing on the bed, eager to hear Rose's answer.

The pink ranger decided to burst her bubble. "Sorry, I'm just not that into him. Besides, I've got a bunch of other stuff to worry about. Those zords don't build themselves, you know."

Ronny look disappointed, but she hid it well. "Aww, fine then. But you're no fun."

Rose shrugged and chose not to reply, thankful that Ronny wasn't asking any more embarrassing questions. Keeping her relationship with Mack a secret was hard enough without Ronny goading her about liking him. She just hoped the yellow ranger would let the matter rest.

Rose suddenly laughed, realizing how off-topic they had gotten. "All of this, and you still haven't told me how you and Will got together!"

Ronny turned and leaned back against the wall, a small grin on her face. "There's not much of a story left to tell. Mack let me down and I was pretty bummed out. Will noticed how gloomy I was and we started talking and getting really close. A few days later we were going out, and well…the rest is history."

Rose smiled. "Still, that's sweet. I'm glad for you two."

Ronny shrugged, her smile dwindling. "Yeah…but nowadays, I'm not really sure if I still feel the same way about him," she looked to Rose, giving her a sad grin before continuing on, "This whole situation and everything…it kind of puts everything into a new perspective, y'know?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I know." _'I understand you better than you think, Ronny.'_

The yellow ranger placed her chin in her hands. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it."

Rose gave the girl a sympathetic smile. "I suggest telling Will how you're feeling. Get it out in the open, or else you might do something stupid that you'll probably regret." _'God knows I almost did.'_ The thought made Rose shudder.

Ronny's smile was genuine this time. "Thanks, Rose. I don't think anyone else in this house can listen to me babble on without getting a headache."

Rose gave a grin of her own. "No worries. It's nice to just sit and chat sometimes."

An unexpected voice from the door caused the two to look up. Will smiled sheepishly at the two from the doorway. "Sorry to bother you two lovely ladies."

Rose grinned up at the black ranger. "No problem at all. What's up?"

Will held up an envelope and entered the room. "Hartford's got a new way to communicate. Dax gave me this a few minutes ago."

Ronny frowned slightly, more annoyed than angry. "Yeah, I got one too. You want to talk about it?"

Will nodded, but looked over to Rose apologetically. "If that's alright?"

Rose smiled. "Of course," she got up to the bed and moved towards the door, skirting around Will. She leaned on the doorframe. "I'll finish talking to you later, okay Ronny?"

The yellow ranger nodded and grinned. "Sure thing."

Rose shut the door behind her and stood there for a few moments, half-listening to the murmurs of conversation behind the painted wood. Eventually she turned away and began to walk down the hallway, wondering what she could possibly do to keep herself occupied.

She wound up walking down the stairs towards the game room, debating on the pros and cons of playing mind-numbing video games. When she arrived, her mind was made for her when she saw Dax at the game console, pounding at the buttons on the controller with a ferocity she hardly ever saw him let out, even during battles.

She rolled her eyes. "If you hit those buttons any harder, Dax, your thumbs will break off."

The blue ranger merely grunted and didn't bother turning towards her. He instead kept his eyes trained to the man on the screen who was running around a mall wielding a large chainsaw. Rose blanched as she saw the Dax unleash his anger on random, unsuspecting zombies, and decided that video games would probably rot her brain anyway.

She left the game room and ambled down the hall. She smiled as she saw Spencer on the stairs with a rather large load of laundry in his hands. "Hey, you need some help with that?"

The butler smiled at her. "Why, hello Rose. No, I'm quite fine actually. But if you'd like to help out, I think Mack is downstairs in the weight room unloading some new equipment."

She smiled, glad to find something to do. "If you're sure, Spencer…"

The older man smiled. "Of course. I'll be just fine with this. You go have fun with Mack." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes at him, smiling.

"Thanks, Spencer."

He gave one last smile before heading up the next flight of stairs. "Any time."

Rose watched him leave, and then made her way down to the first storey. She made a quick detour to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator before making her way down to the basement.

The stairs led down to a small hallway with double doors at the end and a single door on the right. She walked past the single door and made her way to the end of the hallway. One of the two doors had been propped open, and she stood in the entrance, peering in.

She smiled as she saw the red ranger move about inside the massive room. There was plenty of equipment in the room that had already been put together and used, but there were still a few boxes of various items that needed to be unpacked. She put the water down on the floor and rested against the doorway quietly, contented to stay and watch him until he realized she was there.

She didn't have to wait long. Mack had just finished assembling one of the sets of machines when he looked up and saw her watching. He smiled and stood up, resting his back up against the newly assembled contraption, and crossed his arms across his chest. He smiled and mimicked her pose. "Hey, you."

She smiled at him, and her grin turned into a half-smirk. "Hello, Mackenzie."

He dropped the pose and raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't move. He stood, grinning. He didn't bother commenting on her use of his full name, knowing it would just give her ammunition to tease him. "What brings you down here?"

She raised her eyebrows at him and gave him a once-over before leaning her head back against the door. She was blunt, but truthful. "Admiring you."

He raised his eye at her. Rose gave a small laugh at his expression and he shook his head, making his way over to her. When he reached her he gathered her up in his arms and pressed his forehead to hers, grinning. She rested her hands on his chest and closed her eyes, a smile on her face.

She opened her eyes and stared into his, and laughed suddenly. He rolled his eyes. "What is it?"

"You're all sweaty." She didn't move away. Instead, her grin grew wider.

His smile matched hers. He shrugged. "Well, that's what happens when you've been unpacking weights for an hour."

She smiled and stood on her tiptoes, giving him a small peck on the lips. Her hands moved from his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Need any help with anything?"

He nodded, still smiling down at her. "I could use a hand with putting the treadmills together."

"Sure." She let go of his waist and made her way over to a box of tools in the corner of the room. He followed closely behind her, his hand on the small of her back. After they found the tools they needed, they unloaded one of the boxes and began piecing the equipment together.

They came up with a pattern. She would hold the pieces and he would screw them in place. As he would finish, she would grab another bar and align it correctly. Then he would move onto the new piece. It soon became a rhythm and the two worked quickly and quietly, their silence contented and not at all uncomfortable.

As they were finishing up, Rose broke the trance that they had brought themselves into by speaking quietly. "I lied to Ronny earlier. About us."

Mack looked up, momentarily worried, but his thoughts were put at ease when he saw the smile on her face. She was just making a statement; it was an easy conversation, nothing more. "What happened?"

She shrugged, accidentally dropping the handlebar she was holding in place. She picked it up again and fit it back into its place before continuing. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be." She gave him a short glance as he maneuvered his arms around hers to get the screw into the right place.

"I don't like lying to her, but…" she shrugged again.

He smiled at her. "Not as bad as you thought it would be?"

She nodded slightly as she moved to grab the other handlebar. "Considering everything we would have to deal with if we _were_ found out?" She grinned, imagining the alternative, "no, not that bad at all."

Mack smiled at her and gave the screwdriver one last turn before standing up straight and clapping the nonexistent dust off of his hands. He struck a pose. "Done!"

She shook her head at his antics and walked over to the doorway to grab the water bottles she had left. He followed her and sat with his back up against the wall, thanking her as she handed him the water.

Rose moved to sit next to him, but she was slightly surprised when he pulled her down in front of him so she was basically sitting on his lap. She shifted to fix the awkward angle she had fallen at, and then leaned back against the red ranger's chest. She smiled and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

Mack wrapped one of his arms around her and used the other to bring the bottle of water to his lips, sipping at it. When he was finished, he sat the bottle down and ran his hand through her hair. He sighed. "How did you and Ronny end up talking about us?"

Rose closed her eyes momentarily, relaxing in his comfortable presence. "She was telling me about the time she asked you out," he gave her a questioning glance and she grinned, "After you got back from being kidnapped by Dumb and Dumber."

He raised his eyebrows and laughed. "She knew I was into you back then?"

Rose grinned and looked up at him. "I guess so," she shook her head at him and gave him a look, "And apparently you've been checking me out lately, because she's noticed _that_ too."

He laughed again and leaned down, kissing her. She reached up to his face and pulled him closer to her, her lips grinning against his. Their faces moved apart and he smiled softly down at her, breathless. He hummed happily. "Can you blame me?"

Rose turned sideways and curled herself around him, hugging him close. She grinned. "I suppose not."

Mack smiled down at her and returned the embrace. He rested his cheek on top of her head and pulled her as close as he could. The two eventually fell into another comfortable silence, completely at ease with each other.

They were soon brought out of their reverie when they heard footsteps coming from the hallway. Mack groaned as Rose sat up, and she sent him a reassuring smile. She scooted over so she was leaning against the wall next to him, and he grabbed her hand in his, giving it a small squeeze before letting go. They looked up to see Spencer walk into the room.

The butler scanned the room for a moment before his eyes landed on the two resting against the wall. Mack looked over to him, a happy grin on his features. "What's up, Spencer?"

"Ah, a request from your father. He wants to talk to you."

Mack's smile faded slightly. "Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"

Spencer nodded, his persistent grin directed at the red ranger. "Something about a trip he plans on sending the lot of you to go on."

Mack nodded and sighed, a relieved look gracing his features. Rose looked up at the older man, interested. "A trip?"

Spencer sighed. "Well, yes. But don't ask me to tell you anything else, because I hardly know anything more about it than you do."

The pink ranger grinned at Spencer and then stood up. She glanced down and at Mack and offered her hand, smiling to herself as he took it and didn't let go.

Mack looked away from Rose and focused his attention on the butler. "Do you know where I can find him?"

Spencer motioned to the floors above him. "Your father should be up in his office, doing paperwork."

Mack grinned. "Thanks."

Spencer nodded almost imperceptibly at the younger boy. "Certainly, sir."

Mack turned his focus away from the butler and smiled softly at Rose. "You okay with finishing up down here?" He motioned to a few half-opened boxes in the opposite corner of the room.

She grabbed his other hand and took a few steps closer to him. "I think I can handle it."

He let out an amused grin and dipped his head down to kiss her lightly, not caring that Spencer was watching the two of them. "I'll see you later, then?"

She smiled. "Of course."

He let go of her hands and walked over to the hallway, turning around at the last second to smile at her before walking out the door.

Spencer looked over to Rose and laughed, "If you grin any wider, Rose, your mouth will take up your entire face."

Rose looked over to him and shook her head, giving him a mock glare. He laughed again and followed the path Mack had taken out into the hallway.

Rose turned and walked towards the corner of the room, a happy grin still on her face.


	8. Interlude: Daybreak Reverie

Sorry about the delayed update, guys! Graduation was crazy, and I'm still trying to get my bearings. Fun stuff! I can't blame it all on graduation, though: WoW has taken over my life, and I hate it. Oh so much. That game is addictive beyond words.

As for this crazy fic…this chapter is much shorter than the others. Why? It's filler.

I know you hate me for it, but I needed a filler so I could add Tyzonn into the fic, and it's really hard to just jump into another full chapter when there's been a brand new character introduced. Especially when the next chapter needs to take place at _least_ six episodes later than the episode referenced in the last chapter.

Someone asked me about the continuity of this fic, and here's so say…it's pretty screwed up. The first chapter happened relatively early on, I'm thinking somewhere between _Heart of Blue_ and _Pirate in Pink_. Same goes for the second chapter, seeing as how it continues directly from the first. The next four chapters exist in the time hole I created between _Lights, Camera, DAX_ and _Face to Face I & II_. Heh.

As for this chapter, it takes place on the night right after _Just like Me_.

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"_The forceps of our minds are clumsy things and crush the truth a little in the course of taking hold of it."_ -H.G. Wells

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**Interlude: Daybreak Reverie**

Rose smiled in accomplishment as she finally managed to fix up the latest damage that had been done to the zords. She dusted herself off and stretched, her arms reaching towards the ceiling. After letting out a large yawn, she patted the zord admiringly before heading over to her own zord to assess the damage done to it.

She was tired and it was late, but hers was the last zord to be fixed so she figured sleep could wait. Spencer had originally been helping her, but he had left a few hours earlier, warning her not to stay up too late.

She chuckled slightly at the thought, looking down at her watch. The small device was flashing the numbers _3:17_, and she knew Spencer would be horrified at the thought of her staying up so long to finish work that they both could easily handle in the morning.

Honestly, though…she couldn't sleep; her mind was a whirlwind of thought. Her eyes traveled briefly over to the Flashpoint zords, and she quickly closed them again. She sighed.

The past month had been unbelievably hectic.

It had turned out that it wasn't exactly a trip that Mr. Hartford waned to speak with Mack about. It was actually about the new zord Mack was getting. She knew about it, of course; she helped to the thing together, for goodness sakes. Though, she really wasn't expecting him to go berserk over it. Freaking out about new technology was mostly Ronny's department, but she was glad for Mack all the same.

After that, though…

Things began to spiral out of control. Meeting Tyzonn had been an eye-opener. It was intriguing to meet an alien, no doubts about that, but that was the extent of Rose's interest in him. She laughed. He was a good friend, to be sure, especially after he decided to join the team. But there were _definitely_ better looking men living in the mansion.

Rose shook her head, clearing her thoughts before she could begin to daydream about Mack. It was a practice that she had recently taken up, and while it was certainly fun to do, it was _very_ distracting.

Between meeting Tyzonn and the horrible encounter with the Fearcats in Brazil, she and Mack had been spending more and more time with each other. They had spent quite a few nights together on the balcony of the room next to his, simply stargazing and talking. She had gotten to know more and more about the red ranger; his hopes and dreams, his fears…and he had gotten to know quite a bit about her.

It was strange being around him. She put more trust in him than with practically anyone else she knew. She found herself telling him things that she hadn't ever told any other person before. She, like anyone else, had a closet full of demons, and it was nice to be able to talk to him about some of her deepest secrets.

It was scary, trusting someone like that. He had enough dirt to blackmail her into doing just about anything he wanted for the rest of her life. But… he wasn't that kind of person. She almost regretted telling him some things, but later on she would look into his eyes and know that he would never take advantage of the information he had given her. Betrayal of her trust in him was something she _couldn't_ see him risking.

Rose wiped the sweat off of her brow, and continued wrenching a part into place. She briefly wondered if some of the things he had told her about himself had ever been mentioned to anyone else. She thought about asking him, but then mentally shrugged. With all the talking that they had been doing, she'd figure it out in due time.

Her eyebrows came together as a frown crossed her features. _'Or I might not get the chance to figure it out at all!'_

She huffed. After Tyzonn had joined the team, he had been given the room next to Mack's. Ever since he moved in, the constant nights with Mack had dwindled because neither of them wanted Ty to find out about their relationship. The talks with him had been less frequent lately, and it was really disappointing, but there wasn't much either of them could do about it.

She was still bitter about the loss of her favorite chatting spot, and was depressed at the thought of losing the nights or stargazing. It was silly, she knew, but it couldn't be helped. She had grown attached to the small space, and she didn't want to give it up. The only consolation was that Mack wasn't exactly fond of giving it up either.

He had wanted to complain to his father about Tyzonn's room assignment, but she had been forced to talk him out of it. She _knew_ Hartford would want to know why his son was so adamant about keeping the room vacant. It would lead to too many awkward questions, and Mack couldn't very well tell his father that he was using the room's balcony to have late-night bonding sessions with the team's pink ranger. Ronny and Will were taking enough slack from him as it was, and Rose wasn't too keen about getting on a multi-billionaire's bad side.

Ronny and Will… oh, that was a funny topic of conversation nowadays. Rose laughed to herself spitefully. The chat she had had with Ronny before they had met Ty seemed to put the yellow ranger into a strange mindset. Rose couldn't tell if Ronny had talked to Will about her feelings or not, but it didn't seem to matter.

Rose had seen how flirtatious the yellow ranger was with the newest member of the team. It was impossible to _not _to notice. She had been trying, but she couldn't seem to get a read from Will about the love triangle that was beginning to form. Will was just as cocky as ever. He seemed to genuinely like Tyzonn, even after the mercury ranger had tried to take over his style. Rose had to smother a smile. The thought of Tyzonn with cornrows still made her laugh.

Still, she was worried about Will. Sometimes she thought that he was blocking out the budding relationship between Ronny and Tyzonn, or just pretending nothing was happening. Rose quickly shot down that idea. Will was a smart guy; he knew when something wasn't right. But then… why was he acting this way?

Rose frowned as she got up to inspect the job she had done on the zord, half of her mind on inspecting her work, and the other half on the situation between the three love-struck rangers. She knew that Will cared deeply about Ronny, and wanted only the best for her. It confused her how he could just give up on the yellow ranger so easily, especially to competition. He just didn't seem like the kind of guy who would back down to the challenge Tyzonn posed.

The pink ranger tightened a few loose screws and walked over to the toolbox in the back of the room to put her supplies away. Had Will had talked to Ronny? Or had he set up a deal with Tyzonn? She knew that the black ranger had been teaching Ty how to flirt with the girls from Earth, so maybe his master plan was to trick him into liking someone _else_. That seemed like something Will would do, but Rose couldn't know for sure. She supposed she would just have to wait and see where the future would lead them. Rose just hoped that her friends wouldn't wind up getting their hearts broken in the process.

She yawned, her lack of sleep finally catching up with her. She looked over the zords once more before standing in the doorway to admire her handwork. Satisfied, she shut off the lights and made her way through the command centre and up the stairs to the main house.

As she went over the other ranger's situation in her mind one last time, she was infinitely glad that her relationship with Mack was so comparatively simple. They had their spats, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. She figured that the reason for Ronny's predicament was the fact that she never talked to the guys about how she was feeling. Rose knew exactly where she stood with Mack, and she knew that Mack felt the same way. The two of them were always on the same page, but Ronny didn't have that luxury.

She was sympathetic. Rose knew that Ronny herself was probably confused about her feelings for Will and Tyzonn. She hoped that the other girl could find out a way to sort out her feelings before she ended up seriously hurting one of the guys. Rose loved the girl to death, but she knew that the whole thing was just a disaster waiting to happen.

Andrew Hartford didn't add too many happy feelings into the mix, either. He was a great mentor, but he was adamant on not having any couples in the house. Mack had told her that he had overheard his father giving Ty the rundown of rules when he had moved in, and that the elder Hartford had spent a good half-hour on the no-couples subject.

She laughed at the thought. Poor Ty was probably confused to death!

Rose reached her room and entered, closing the door behind her quietly so as not to awaken any of the other rangers. She slipped into her pajamas and then entered the bathroom that was connected to her room. She washed her face and brushed her teeth before making her way back into the main room. She turned off the lights and practically jumped into bed, sleep coming almost immediately to her.

Before she entered dreamland, she had one last fleeting thought about the other rangers; she hoped that everything would turn out for the best. In the end, Rose just wanted her friends to be happy.

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	9. Minute Changes

So… this chapter is a little late in coming, but what can I say? WoW totally runs my life, I can't help it. Heh.

This chapter is fluffish, because of the lateness. I love these two, I really do. They're o much fun to write. Nothing much goes on in this chapter, and it really just sets up the next one, but it gets the job done. It's getting everything back on track, so that's what I'm excited for.

This chapter takes place the day after _It's Hammer Time_.

As always… review! It makes me feel better about myself. Hah.

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"_Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death."_ – Anais Nin

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**Minute Changes**

Rose sat spread-eagled on the floor, her back rigid, staring hawk-eyed at the small piece of folded paper in front of her. She moved it so it was in the exact position she needed it to be in, and poised her expectant thumb and pointer finger at the paper's edge. She took a small sigh, closed her eyes for a moment, and realigned her vision. She pulled in a large breath, held it, and…_flick!_

The paper football flew a small ways before coming to a halt in the middle of the floor, quite a ways away from the two-handed goal post. The owner of the hands took a look at the lone piece of paper on the ground, and then to the annoyed face of the pink ranger across from him before bursting into laughter.

Rose sighed and glared across the room. "You're a horrible person, Mack."

The red ranger's laughing died down, and an amused look came to his face in the laughter's wake. "It's not _my _fault you suck at this game." He stuck his tongue out at her childishly.

The corners of her mouth threatened to tug upwards, but she fought it. "You're the one who chose the game in the first place!"

He leaned backwards onto his elbows, still smiling devilishly at the pink ranger, and countered, "Yeah, but I'm _good_ at it."

She rolled her eyes, but they were bright with mirth. "And I'm a tragic failure. You couldn't have _possibly_ picked something that I was better at? Come on now."

He laughed again. "Or course not. That would make me look like a loser."

"You're calling me a loser now?"

"You lost, didn't you?"

She huffed and turned away, straining to keep the smile off of her face. He called her name, but she refused to look at him. She wasn't insulted in the least; she just liked toying with him. She leaned back against his bed, amused.

He crawled across the floor and lay down on his stomach in front of her. He propped his chin up with his arms and looked up at her, almost pouting. He poked her in the stomach, and she let out an unsuspecting squeal of laughter, her hidden smile finally sprouting widely across her face.

Mack, satisfied that he hadn't insulted the pink ranger, offered his own smile. "So, what do you want to do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hmmm."

The two lapsed into a silence. Mack folded his arms together on he ground and laid his head on them. Rose began to run her fingers through his mop of hair, slowly getting rid of the tangles.

After the fifth knot she hit, Rose looked down at the red ranger incredulously. "Do you ever brush this mess?"

Mack rolled his eyes slightly. "Every day. But it gets messed up easily."

"I can tell!" She laughed a bit, weaving her finger through a tight spot and apologizing at the wince he gave.

She hit another tangle of hair and he hissed in pain before reaching up with one hand to rub the tender area. "Sheesh, Rose. Trying to give me bald spots?"

She looked sheepish. "Sorry! I'm not _trying_ to hurt you, honest."

"I know, I know." He smiled up at her before laying his head on his arms once again.

Rose grinned and leaned down, pressing a small kiss on the sore spot. "There! All better."

Mack chuckled outright. "I didn't know you were a mother hen, too."

She smirked at him and winked. "Don't tell anyone."

"You're secret's safe with me." He made a _zipping_ motion across his mouth, and then he propped his head up once again.

"I'm bored."

She laughed. "Are you always a little bundle of energy like this?"

He grinned up at her. "Nope. Sometimes I sleep, too."

Mack turned over and outstretched his arms and legs, taking up quite a bit of floor space with his tall frame. He evened out his breathing, and seconds later began to fake snoring. _Loudly_.

Rose laughed, amused by his antics. She attempted to stem the flow of the annoying snore by pinching his nostrils together, but it was to no avail; he simply began making the noises with his mouth.

She shook her head at him, smiling. "You need to find better things to do. Snoring is annoying."

He smirked up at her. "Well, I _would_ have something to do if you were still playing paper football with me."

"She shook her head at him. "Sorry, not falling for that one. I refuse to play that game."

He grinned. Rose began threading her fingers through his hair again.

"You're not _that_ bad at it."

She laughed. "Are you kidding? I'm a horrible player."

"Have you ever seen Dax play? Now _that's_ bad."

Rose found a particularly stubborn knot in his hair and fumbled with it. "You know what's horrible? Your _hair_."

Mack looked up at her, the smile on his face ever present. "S'not my fault. Gotta blame my mom for that one."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, you _definitely _don't have your father's hair."

"Thank God for that one."

"No doubt. I like you curls, thank you very much." She pulled on a lock of his hair and let it go, watching it spring back into place.

Mack sighed sadly and his eyes grew slightly darker. "You should've seen my mom's hair. It was really lovely."

Rose's heart constricted at the wistful look on his face. She ran her hand through his hair once more, but it was much gentler than before. "You miss her, don't you?"

He gave her a small, sad smile. "Yeah, I always do."

She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, trying to give him some form of comfort. "I'm sorry."

The corner of his mouth lifted up. "Don't be; it's not your fault."

"I know, but-"

He put a finger to her mouth, shushing her. A genuine smile was back on his face. "Don't get all sentimental on me, Rose. She's been gone a long time."

She looked down at him, still concerned. He continued, "Don't worry yourself over something you can't change, alright?"

She nodded, silent. He lifted his fingers to the corners of her mouth and pulled her lips upwards. "Smile for me, Rose. You're beautiful when you smile."

She turned her head sideways, embarrassed at the compliment, but the smile he wanted to see was on her face. He moved his arms down and lay the across his stomach. "Much better."

She shook her head and looked down at him, quiet for a moment so she could gather her thoughts.

"So…what do you want to do?"

He shrugged as well as he could while lying on the floor. "Anything's fine with me, really."

Rose sighed. "I'm sick of this house. We finally have a day off, and I still feel cooped up in here."

"You wanna go see a movie or something later? I'm with you; this house is totally boring," he grinned up at her, "it'll be my treat."

Rose smirked and ruffled up his hair, causing it to tangle up again. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

He smiled brightly up at her. "Sure am."

She couldn't help the wide grin that took over her face. "Well then, how can I say no?"

He pulled on one of her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, making her smile grow even wider. "So you'll go?

She took hold of both of his hands and threaded her fingers through his. Their arms were at awkward angles, but neither cared. "Of course I will."

Out of nowhere, the yellow ranger bounded through the hallways, practically jumping past Mack's doorway. The two rangers looked up, confused. She was humming loudly, and it could be heard halfway down the hall.

Rose deadpanned. "Remind me to close your door next time if you're going to be flirting with me. Who knows what kind of spectacle we'd make?"

Mack sat up and leaned against the bed so he was sitting next to her. "And deal with the rumors that will circulate about you being in my room with the door closed?"

She winced. "That could get ugly."

He grinned to her and grabbed her hand once more. "We just can't win, can we?"

She smiled. "It's a challenge. At least it makes things interesting."

"True."

Rose propped her chin up with her vacant hand. "So, what's got Freya in such a good mood? She was _skipping_."

Mack shrugged, laughing at the nickname. "I don't know, but I'm interested. She was going to Tyzonn's room, at any rate. That might explain it."

Rose sighed, a small frown coming to her face at the mention of Ronny and Tyzonn. Mack, of course, wasn't at all oblivious to the pair's flirting.

The red ranger noticed her frown and smirked. "Don't like the idea of Ronny with Tyzonn, I gather?"

Rose sighed. "I honestly wouldn't care either way, but when she's already going out with Will…"

"It's kind of messed up?"

"Exactly."

Mack hummed in agreement. "I've mentioned it to Will. He keeps saying that he has no idea what I'm talking about."

Rose's eyebrow rose in amusement. "Hah. He's actually in denial about it."

Mack absently rubbed the back of Rose's hand, thinking intently. His eyebrows came together in a slight frown. "I'm pretty sure he knows exactly what's going on. He just doesn't want to admit it."

"He's probably embarrassed about it."

"Probably."

Rose sighed. "He shouldn't be. It's not his fault Ronny's completely controlled by her hormones."

Mack grinned at the pink ranger. "Oh, and you aren't?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

She turned away from him to lean back against the bed, and Mack got an evil gleam in his eye. He pounced on her, bringing her to the floor with all of his weight on top of her. He grinned.

Her breath hitched. Mack was very, _very_ close. She wrapped her arms around his waist to steady herself and closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing back to normal.

He began kissing his way up her neck, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. She brought his face level with hers and kissed him slowly, her hand sliding its way up his back, pressing him closer. He broke the kiss abruptly, but his face was still close, and she could feel his breath on her lips. She leaned upwards, their lips coming into contact again, and he allowed the kiss to linger before pulling away once again. She groaned. When he spoke, his voice was much deeper than normal, and it gave her chills. "You sure you're not run by your hormones, Rose?"

He was grinning, and she could hear it in his voice. She sighed and took a deep breath. "I'm not as bad as Ronny, running around with two guys."

Mack grinned and replied jokingly, "You'd better not be. I'd have to kick someone's ass for touching you."

She grinned. "You're enough for me to handle as it is. Ronny's definitely got some skills, though, with two guys wrapped around her finger like that."

The red ranger buried his head in the crook of her neck, his voice slightly muffled. "Well, Freya _was_ the God of love."

Rose laughed. "And fertility!"

Mack let out a chuckle of his own, and the vibrations his voice made against her neck caused her to sigh. "Great, that's all we need. A pregnant Ronny."

She rolled her eyes. "Now _that_ would be a sight to see. But I don't think she's stupid enough to go and sleep with Will. …or Tyzonn."

He was still grinning. "Let's hope not. Besides, my dad would _freak_."

Rose laughed. "And then he'd have a heart-attack. I don't think he's even realized Ronny and Ty have been flirting every single moment they're near each other."

Mack shrugged. "Yeah well, my dad can be pretty blind sometimes."

She motioned towards the position the two of them were in. "Yeah, well I doubt he'd be blind to this. You lying on top of me and all would probably be good hint."

Mack hummed, and the sound reverberated in his chest. "Yeah, well…I'm comfortable."

She smiled. "So am I, but your door _is_ open."

He laughed. "You afraid of Ty and Freya walking by?"

"Well, it would be a _little_ hard to explain why you're laying on top of me."

Mack snuggled closer to her, reluctant to move. "I'll just say I saw a bug."

She grinned. "And to get rid of it you jumped on top of me?"

"Sure."

Rose laughed outright. "You're horrible with excuses."

He sighed and sat up, untangling his arms from around her body. He straddled her waist and laid his palms flat on her stomach. "How 'bout I sat on a bug?"

"Good try, genius, but I doubt the one'll work either."

He laughed. "I know, I know. But it doesn't hurt to try, does it?"

She pushed him off of her stomach playfully and he rolled next to her, lying on his side. He sat up halfway, propped his head up with one hand, and placed the other possessively on her hip. She grabbed his hand with hers and threaded their fingers together.

Rose sighed. "I suppose not."

He leaned down momentarily and pecked her on the lips, causing her to smile brightly. Her smile suddenly turned mischievous. "I want to go spy on Ronny and Tyzonn."

Mack raised his eyes at her. "Really?"

She nodded, and his grin matched hers. He stood to give her a hand up, and she accepted it gladly. The two headed for the open door. Before crossing into the hallway, she turned and grinned at him. "Follow me."

They walked as quietly down the hallway as they could, Rose stopping Mack a few feet from Tyzonn's door. She whispered to him, "Stay here."

He nodded and she turned invisible, making her way through the (surprisingly) open door.

At first she couldn't spot the two, but she head a loud noise to the left of her. She turned and gasped. She almost bust into laughter, but managed to stop herself. Rose continued standing there, staring wide-eyed at the two a minute longer before turning to head out the door. However, her silent getaway was ruined when she tripped over Tyzonn's trashcan and its contents spilled across the floor.

Still invisible, she looked behind her and saw the two staring in her general direction, confused. Ronny took a step forward, and Rose ran out of the room and into the hallway. She grabbed Mack and began pulling the red ranger along with her into a sprint, turning visible halfway down the hallway. They didn't dare look back and see if the other two were following.

The two ran past Mack's room and turned, forgoing the staircase and heading for the hallway with other rangers' room. They reached Rose's door and she pulled Mack inside, slamming the door behind her. She leaned back against her door and slid down it, sighing.

Mack looked at her and burst into laughter. "What the hell happened in there?"

Rose looked to the red ranger and gave him a smirk. "Oh, only our yellow and mercury rangers making out against a wall."

His eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Are you serious?"

She grinned. "Why in the world would I lie about that? It's crazy enough as it is!"

Mack took off his uniform jacket, and plopped down onto her bed. He covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow. "I don't know whether to laugh or be completely disgusted."

Rose shrugged from her spot against the door. "A little bit of both, I guess."

Mack frowned. "So…I guess this means she's officially cheating on Will."

"Unless he and Ronny talked something out and are taking a break or something."

The red ranger lifted his head up, causing his arm to fall down to his chest. He gave her an incredulous look. "You really think they did?"

"Not at all. I just _hope_ they did. For Will's sake."

The frown was back on Mack's face. "Should we tell him?"

Rose's face mirrored his. "I honestly have no idea. I've never really been in this situation before."

Mack laughed. "Never even went to high school, did you?"

Rose frowned. "I was only in high school for a year and a half. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Supposedly, this stuff happens all the time. Dating, cheating on boyfriends, gossiping about it… the works."

"Supposedly?"

He shrugged. "I was home schooled. Honestly, I've never been in this position either."

"This kind of… sucks."

"This _really_ sucks."

Rose got up from her position on the floor and made her way over to the bed. She lay down next to Mack and snuggled up to his side, her fingers curling into his black shirt. She sighed. "I don't think we should tell him."

"You really don't think so?

She nodded. "If he doesn't know about Ronny and Tyzonn…"

Mack groaned. "It'll devastate him, the poor guy."

She hummed in agreement.

A knock on the door edged them out of their conversation. Rose looked up confusedly and got up, ushering Mack into her room's connecting bathroom and closing the door. She hurried to her bedroom door and opened it, plastering a big grin to her face.

"Hey Ronny. What's up?"

The yellow ranger looked at her accusingly. She cut straight to the chase. "Were you just in Ty's room a few minutes ago?"

She feigned innocence. "Why would I be in Tyzonn's room?"

Ronny raised her eyebrows. "You tell me."

Rose managed to look indignant. "Look, I've been in here since lunchtime, working on some research for Mr. Hartford. What exactly are you accusing me of here?"

Ronny shook her head. "You know what… never mind. It must've been something else."

"Been what?"

Ronny smiled slightly at the pink ranger. "Don't worry about it. I'll leave you to your work."

Rose raised her eyebrows, but shrugged. "Whatever you say, Ronny."

The other girl nodded and walked off. "See ya."

"Yeah."

Rose closed the door and sighed heavily, leaning her forehead against the wood of the door. Seconds later she felt a pair of arm envelop her waist and a body press up against her back. "Who knew you were such a great liar?"

She leaned back into his embrace. "It's not one of my favorite qualities, I assure you."

"But it's useful."

She closed hers eyes and sighed again. "If you call lying to your friends useful."

His kissed the top of her head gently. "It was either that or tell her you know that she's cheating on her boyfriend."

"I don't know which is worse."

"I don't either."

Mack turned her around so she was facing him and smiled slightly. He looked at the clock on her nightstand, and then turned to her. "Cheer up. It's three o'clock now...what do you say we leave at four-thirty? I want to get out of this crazy place as soon as I can."

She smiled at the idea. "Four-thirty sounds great."

He hummed happily. "Good. You get ready, and meet me at the garage later, okay?"

She laughed. "It doesn't take me an hour and a half to get ready, Mack."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Thank God for that."

She leaned up to peck him on the cheeks, then ushered him to the door. "C'mon, get out of here. I really _do_ have some research I have to do for your dad."

Mack frowned. "He gave you work on our off day?"

She smiled. "Nope, it's just left over from yesterday," she laughed as he raised an eyebrow at her; "Don't worry about it, I only have a little bit left to do. It wont take long."

"If you say so."

Her grin was infectious. "I do. Now out!"

He smiled as he walked out of the door and into the hall, giving her a little wave as he went. She waved back, laughing lightly at him. She closed the door and walked over to her desk, picking up a book and taking it to her bed to study.

She looked at the clock on the nightstandstand flashing _3:42_, and couldn't help but think that time couldn't move fast enough.


End file.
